


Home Is Where the Heart Is

by PharaohGirl



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Author is a Clay | Dream Apologist (Video Blogging RPF), Awkward Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Blob Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Canon Divergence - Post-Technoblade's Execution, Canon-Typical Violence, Domestic Fluff, Dreamon, Fluff and Humor, Hurt Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Hurt/Comfort, If I tagged everything here it'd be a wall of text, M/M, Manipulation, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sad Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), So chapters will also be tagged with chapter-specific things, Technoblade Hears Voices (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade is Whipped, Technoblade-centric (Video Blogging RPF)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:09:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 28,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29918766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PharaohGirl/pseuds/PharaohGirl
Summary: Finding a genuinely pure and kind heart in this world is hard, especially when the heart belongs to someone whose been broken down by a voice in his head and the betrayal of everyone he cares about.Or, Technoblade is obsessed with teaching Dream life can be beautiful despite what the Dreamon tells him.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 27
Kudos: 360





	1. The Dark Oak Base

**Author's Note:**

> First work in this fandom and boy is it a doozy. I'm gonna be completely honest, I initially just wanted an excuse to write Technoblade and blob Dream smut but somehow it turned into two chapters (so far) and almost 30k words. Don't ask me how, I don't know either.
> 
> Anyway, please enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno is on his way to another Woodland Mansion in search for more totems of undying when he stumbles upon something quite unexpected...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter-specific tags: Dirty thoughts, demonic possession(kinda), blood, injuries, thoughts of consuming blood, description and emotions about watching a person die, vague description of corpses, very brief mention of violence against blob Dream, literal sleeping together, and graphic depictions of how fucking beautiful Dream is (I told you Techno is whipped)

Techno muttered to himself as he turned the map in his hands every which way, trying to decipher where he was on it. The towering dark oak trees around him were as useless as the flimsy paper in telling him where he was and he started to consider turning back around to go home. And the voices in his head were even less help, shouting 'TechnoLOST' over and over again until he could feel an ache start to form inside his skull. 

"I am not _lost,_ Chat, quit bein' annoyin'." He grumbled out loud, gritting his teeth at the pain that resembled someone squeezing his head from all sides. 

He stopped attempting to Nether travel a long time ago. As much as he enjoyed being in his homeland, his birthplace and the dimension of all his true relatives as he was a piglin hybrid, actually traversing it was even more of a headache than what he was presently dealing with. He sighed as he came to a stop. It felt like he was going in circles though he tried his best to keep his path straight and avoid that exact scenario. Every tree looked the same, bulky and deep brown with rich green leaves that blocked out the sun above. He only knew it was day because the clock in his inventory bag said so. 

Well, he wasn't getting anywhere standing still, that's for sure, so he marched ahead. Perhaps it was determination that fueled him, or just plain stubbornness that he wouldn't be bested by the confusing landscape around him. _He was the goddamn human GPS for fuck's sake._

Personally, he attributed his perseverance more to knowing he _needed_ to get his hands on more totems. He currently had a grand total of zero, having used one at his 'trial' and the other was given to Phil who definitely needed it more.

So onward he went, deeper into the maze of dark oak trees and abnormally tall mushrooms. He inwardly wished he had stopped to rest before entering the forest as he hadn't taken a rest stop in a good few days now except to sleep and he certainly couldn't now, not when mobs were around every corner lurking in the darkness and just waiting for the second Techno dropped his guard. 

A light ahead confused him, more than the forest around him did. Surely that wasn't the end of the biome? Dark oak forests were notorious for being some of the biggest biomes, right behind jungles and deserts. What was over there then? A village? Villages didn't normally generate in dark oak biomes, the darkness and higher mob count would decimate any settlers in the area. So what was... 

Curiosity got the better of Techno as he trekked forward to the light. The voices also seemed quite interested, though he noted a good portion were wary of approaching so trustingly.

He soon found himself stepping into a clearing where a simple cabin made of dark oak and stone bricks stood humbly. Techno blinked then furrowed his brows in confusion, who could possibly be living out here? He was many miles out from the Dream SMP, much farther than most other people would settle down even with the ability to Nether travel. And it certainly wasn't a mob of any kind, unless it was some rare mob that only spawned in dark oak forests and lived in cozy cottages like the one before him. Well, either way, any structures usually promised some kind of loot, naturally generated or not, and this wasn't that much of a detour from his original destination so he walked the gravel path leading up to the front door. It felt wrong to just barge in, though he would to any other structure, but the chance that maybe someone _was_ actively living here was enough to make him knock. He hoped it was a sufficiently loud knock that potential occupants would hear. 

He pursed his lips as he waited, using the time to glance around the lawn of the house. Finely trimmed bushes lined the front of the house as well as the gravel path he took to get here. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw dull green eyes peek through the curtains of the window at the front of the house. When whoever it was noticed him catch their stare, the eyes disappeared and the curtain moved back into place. Who did he know had green eyes? He wracked his brain for the possibilities, even the voices attempted to aid in throwing out suggestions, but the door unlocked and opened before he or them could come up with anything substantial. 

The sight of the one who opened the door left him speechless and wide eyed, and the voices completely silent. Dream stood there, dirty blond locks splayed messily about his head, sage green irides not yet getting their natural shine as if he had just woken up. However, neither of those aspects are what gave Techno pause as he had beheld Dream's handsome face before--and that privilege never failed to fill him with an almost possessive feeling of pride. No, it was the fact that Dream was half naked, only in black trousers, allowing a tantalizing view of a lean, tan torso with freckles dancing across his shoulders and arms all the way to the backs of his fingers. If Dream could see the sudden lust in Techno's ruby gaze, he didn't say anything about it, instead beginning the conversation with a simple, "Techno? What are you doing all the way out here?" 

Techno's throat was suddenly very dry, and it took his brain a second to realize Dream had spoken. Not only was the green eyed man delicious looking already with his golden colored bedhead and near flawless skin, his morning voice did wonderful things to Techno's eardrums. 

"I-I, um, I could ask you the same question." He shot back, the comeback entirely unnecessary in its intended hostility. But there was nothing threatening about the pinkette with red cheeks and a stuttering voice. 

Dream's deep chuckle made his knees feel like jelly, "I asked you first." The side of his lips quirked up into an amused smirk. 

Techno relented, "Well, I was on my way to a Woodland Mansion when I found your little place here." 

"Another one? Looking for more totems, I assume?" 

"Yup, last one you directed me too wasn't all that bountiful." Techno narrowed his eyes at Dream accusingly. 

"You say that as if I could've possibly known that." 

Techno shrugged, finally getting some semblance of control over his previously flustered state, "Who knows, everythin' always seems to go accordin' to your plans so maybe you scouted out a bunch of different Woodland Mansions and then gave me the map to the one with the least amount of evokers." 

When Dream didn't immediately respond, Techno opened one of his eyes that he had closed during his mini spiel to see Dream staring at him with an unimpressed glare. 

"You really think I got the time to do all that? I'm a busy man, Technoblade."

"Yes, ya seem very busy with livin' out in the middle of the woods thousands of miles from any other humans. Seriously, what kind of hermit goes _this far out_? Even I'm closer to other people and everyone knows I hate bein' around people. Is this your retirement arc? You an old war veteran now?"

"Are you gonna keep passive-aggressively insulting me or do you wanna come in?" 

"I would like to come in, yes please." Techno answered quickly and he dearly hoped he didn't sound as desperate as he was. His feet were starting to ache from days of walking and he decided his throat went dry earlier because he hadn't found a proper water source in a while and not from the hot sight in front of him that rivaled the heat of the Nether.

Dream laughed softly before opening his door wider and gesturing for Techno to follow as he walked deeper into the home. The area inside was small and quaint just like the outside, Techno noted as he stepped in. He closed the door behind himself and set his bag with his inventory in it down by the frame. There wasn't much to the décor, a table with two chairs, a lime carpet, some paintings and a few potted plants populated the living area. Dream disappeared into the sectioned off kitchen area as Techno noticed the smell of cooking food. Dream must've been making--Techno glanced to the clock in his hotbar to see it displayed the sun almost directly in the middle--lunch before Techno arrived. That also meant Dream had slept in until nearly midday. Was this his day-off or something?

"You hungry? I got enough for two here. I usually make extra for leftovers to eat later but if you want some then..." Dream purposely trailed off as he was sure Techno got the message. 

"Yeah, sure. Can only eat so many golden carrots before they start tastin' like nothin'." Techno replied as he took a seat at the table to the right center of the living room, his heels clicking against the wood floor along the way. Briefly, the hybrid imagined Tommy shouting about how he was acting way too casual with the enemy but he immediately shook that guilt off, reminding himself that he personally had no qualms with Dream so there was no reason to feel bad. Dream was an individual, one man, not a government. 

Dream laughed a bit before he appeared again from the doorway of the kitchen heading for the table, "Suffering from success, huh?" 

Techno sighed dramatically, a hand coming up to cradle his cheek, "You have no idea how hard it is to have to eat the food that grants the most saturation of all the known foods and that I can easily trade for with my hundreds of emeralds. I feel almost forced, just once I wish I could indulge in the poor people dishes like steaks or venison but alas, I'm stuck with these damned gilded vegetables."

Dream was quiet for a second, his movements halted, until he wheezed loudly as he set down two steaming bowls and sat across from Techno. The pinkette felt his heart swell at the contagious laughter and he too soon laughed at his own theatrics. 

"You're a special kind of prick, Techno." Dream said once his laughs died down to mere chuckles. 

"I know." Techno responded quite proudly. He opened his eyes to see the meal in front of him then glanced down to the food on the table. He leaned downward and sniffed, "Mushroom stew." That made sense, they were in a dark oak forest after all. Mushroom stew was the easiest and most available food source here, Dream would have to travel annoyingly far for any cattle and apples usually grew on regular oak trees. 

"Mhm. I hope this humble 'poor people food' will be adequate for your refined tastes, Mr. Blade." Dream teased, his spoon stirring his own soup before bringing a spoonful of broth to his lips. 

Techno watched his peach colored lips pucker to slurp the soup. He quickly returned his attention to his own soup to avoid his mind wandering to other reasons why Dream might contract his lips to suck-

"I guess we'll just have to see." Techno cleared his throat and took up his spoon to sample the cooled off soup. It tasted how he figured it would, like mushrooms, but with some added spices and herbs that made it much better than the typical thrown together stew. The taste was a much-needed deviation from his usual eating of golden carrots, that habit probably factored into how good the soup was. 

"Well?" Dream raised a brow at him, looking for any reaction that might hint to how Techno felt about it. 

But Techno kept up a neutral facial expression before shrugging, "It'll do." 

Dream rolled his eyes with a shake of his head, a knowing smile playing on his lips. The pair descended into a comfortable silence. It allowed Techno the time to think, think about how _domestic_ this all felt. He never anticipated that he'd describe Dream, _the Dream_ that blew up nations, wore shining netherite armor to show off his power, and manipulated those around him all to amuse him in his sick mind games, as domestic. But here he was, living quietly in his cottage, eating mushroom stew, and leaving himself entirely exposed to any potential attacks thrown his way. Techno wondered how such a man with the kind of reputation that strikes fear into enemies and relief into allies for having him on their side could act like this. It was a stark contrast, yet not at the same time. 

This was still Dream, he still had that aura of self-confidence about him and still had those hands that were scarred and stained with blood. However, like this, Techno felt like Dream was much more human, not some god on a pedestal out of reach of any lowly mortals. He could extend his hand out and touch Dream's cheek and it wouldn't be the cold skin of an unfeeling deity, it'd be warm and squeezable. His hair wasn't tangled threads of gold, though it very much appeared so, it looked soft and fluffy and like Techno could run his fingers through it to catch on knots towards the ends. He somehow looked better like this, gorgeous in his simplicity, his imperfections strangely making him look more perfect. 

All these sappy thoughts were interrupted by a sudden realization, "Wait, you're really not homeless?" 

That caught Dream off-guard enough to make him choke on mushroom broth and put a fist to his mouth as he forced the liquid down his throat before he could spit it out. He coughed a few times before laughing and shaking his head, "No, I'm not, I told you that. I did exaggerate a little though, the 'big, redstone mansion' I said about doesn't exist. Though I do have more houses like this scattered about the server, just little bases in different biomes I made during my explorations."

"Oh, so not only are you not homeless, you're a landlord." Techno blinked at him in surprise, genuinely having thought the other man just wandered about and slept outside when he grew tired.

"No, no, all the bases are very much my own. I would never rent them out." Dream shook his head again, halfway through his soup at this point. Techno only then noticed he hadn't been eating his stew as much as he probably should've, too focused on mentally gushing over the other man to care for eating. 

"Ya should, you'd be rich if ya did." Techno pointed out, starting to slurp spoonfuls of soup. 

Dream hummed non-committally, "Nah, I don't think I will. They're personal places to me, places where I can relax and be myself. I don't have to the big bad villain of the server that everyone hates. I can just relax knowing I'm _mostly_ away from everyone else and therefore away from conflict and obligations."

"Ya don't _have_ to be the big bad villain. You could be whoever ya want." 

"No, I can't." Dream had stopped eating now, only staring blankly into the beige colored soup. 

"What, of course ya can. You're Dream, you can do whatever ya want-" 

"Except for be myself. You think anyone would play along with that, Techno?" Dream glanced up to him with a forlorn look the hybrid had never seen before. Techno felt such dejection and misery rolling off Dream in waves. He suddenly looked so tired, so _exhausted,_ like he was thousands of years old and had seen every terrible thing that could possibly happen to a person. No, not seen, _experienced._

"I... No, I s'pose not..." 

Dream returned to look at his reflection in the still broth. He was deathly quiet, the atmosphere was much less cozy than it was just minutes ago. All playfulness and mirth gone, replaced by suffocating despondency. 

"They all hate me, Techno." The one mentioned looked up in surprise to see Dream's bangs blocked most of his face from view, "They despise me. My friends turned their backs on me, L'Manberg is after my head, no one wants me around. I cause all the problems, I start all the fights, I'm the war criminal that everyone fears and avoids. I'm the puppet master, the child manipulator, the green bastard, and every other name they call me. There's no way in hell they'll ever just let me live peacefully with or even near any of them."

Techno didn't respond for a long while. He was the absolute worst candidate for comforting other people, his own coping mechanisms being violence and self-deprecating jokes. If he can't even make himself feel better in healthy ways, then he was truly hopeless with helping others. But he knew he couldn't continue letting Dream wallow in his own self-pity for too long, and that frown paired with those tired eyes didn't look right on Dream's face. 

The guy looked like he needed a hug and copious amounts of therapy, but physical contact that wasn't fighting was not Techno's forte and he certainly was no licensed therapist so he came up with the next best thing. 

"Well, ya know, I don't hate you." That got Dream's attention, Techno inwardly cheered that he at least got Dream to look at him and not glare at his mushroom stew mirror image, "In fact, your company is quite..." The hope in Dream's eyes made Techno want to scream how much he adored being at the man's side but he knew that'd be far too sudden for the current relationship between the two which even he wasn't completely sure of, "tolerable." 

Dream let out an amused scoff, "Tolerable, huh? I'll take what I can get, I guess." Though he had the uplift of a smile on his lips, Techno had a pretty good hunch it was forced. 

He watched as Dream soon stood from his chair with his mostly empty bowl and spoon and started heading for the kitchen, likely to put his dirty dishware in a cauldron. 

"Do ya wanna come with me?" Techno suddenly asked. 

Dream stopped in the doorway between the kitchen and living room. He slowly looked back over his shoulder, "What?" 

"To the Woodland Mansion. Do ya wanna come with? I'm sure it'll be more excitin' than sittin' here doin' nothin'." 

He didn't get a response at first which made a creeping fear of rejection travel up Techno's spine and cause him to tense. 

"Sure. Let me get dressed first." Techno instantly felt his body relax with that answer. 

Dream did just as Techno suspected, placing his wooden bowl and spoon into the cauldron to be cleaned later before coming back and crossing the room to head up the staircase located on the far wall of the living area. 

Techno made sure Dream was fully upstairs, evident by the creaking footsteps heard above, then took up his bowl and downed the rest of the soup greedily. He finished it off in seconds with a satisfied sigh and lick of his lips. Since when was Dream such a good cook? This clearly was not his first batch of mushroom stew. To be fair, Techno had no idea how long or often Dream came out here to live simply so it's entirely possible Dream had honed his cooking skills in his alone time. 

Being the polite house guest he was, Techno cleaned up after himself and put his own dish and spoon in the cauldron in the kitchen. A quick glance-over of the room revealed it was much more functional compared to the living room's homeliness: two furnaces, a crafting table, a brewing stand, and some slabs for counter space accompanied the cauldron. Though, just for that feeling that this place was lived in, there were a few potted plants and a painting.

When Techno stepped back into the living area, Dream was back down now dressed in his usual lime green hoodie over a black turtleneck with the black pants he was already wearing earlier and lacing up his dark green combat boots at the table. Techno momentarily missed being able to drool over Dream's half naked form, but he was grateful to now have significantly less dirty thoughts. Though, there was nothing stopping him from fantasizing about those plump lips, about kissing them until they bruised, biting on them until they bled, using them as-

Until Dream slipped his smiley face mask on and clasped it securely in the back. 

"Ready to go?" He looked over in Techno's direction. 

Techno pursed his lips at him, "I'm the one that asked you to come along and you're gonna ask me if I'm ready?" 

"Yes, that is an accurate recounting of what just happened." Dream stood from the chair with a slight stomp of his feet. 

The two seemed to fall into a staring contest, Techno with narrowed ruby eyes and Dream with beady black ones. 

Finally, Techno broke it off, knowing he would not win against the painted dots that physically could not close, and walked over to his inventory bag where he quickly located the map he was using previously. He pulled it out and showed it off to Dream who had taken to standing beside him, the man's hood now concealing his dirty blond mop. 

"I figure ya know the area pretty well, seein' as you've lived in it, so maybe you can help me figure out where this stupidly far out mansion is." Techno explained as Dream took the map from him and began to study it. Dream soon opened the door and walked out, still looking down at the map, with Techno close behind. The masked man pointed in a random direction, then pointed in a different direction before changing the way he was facing and pointing straight ahead. 

"It's not too far from here actually, I didn't even realize I made a base near one. Let's go then." He started walking only for Techno to stop him with a hand on his shoulder. 

"Wait, won't you need some armor? These mansions are no joke." Techno warned but Dream only shook his head. 

"Nah, I'll be fine," He gestured to the axe and shield strapped to his back, "Besides, you're the one that's gonna be fighting so I don't see any point in getting all geared up." 

Techno furrowed his brows at Dream's way too carefree attitude, but who was he to tell the admin of the server what to do? He shrugged and just followed, soon entering back into the dimness of the forest. With a very tasty meal in his stomach and a trusted, albeit a little reckless, ally at his side, Techno was feeling much better about the journey. 

* * *

About twenty minutes into their trip, Techno felt like he had to do something about the quiet. "Ya know, I never did properly thank ya for helpin' me the other day. So, thank you. Sure I would've survived with that totem, but I wouldn't have known where to go after that." 

Dream just shrugged and said with an unusual monotony to his voice, "Of course. You're a good ally, Techno, it wouldn't benefit me for you to die." 

Techno laughed a little awkwardly, "I would hope I'm a little more important to ya than just a means to an end." 

When Dream only hummed in response, Techno glanced over to him worriedly. He wanted to believe he meant something to Dream, but he supposed that would just be wishful thinking after remembering how he seemingly so easily cut ties with his closest friends. Techno and Dream weren't nearly that close, so what hope did he have of being 'special' to Dream? Nothing was special to Dream, nothing apparent anyway. 

The rest of the journey was deafeningly silent. Aside from the voices in Techno's head that disliked Dream's dismissive answer even more.

* * *

Thankfully, said journey turned out to not be much longer, Dream did say it wasn't a far trek from the cabin and he was right. Only two hours later, the pair stood at the steps of the Woodland Mansion. The entrance was devoid of doors, allowing the sun's rays to penetrate somewhat into the structure to reveal a set of stairs past a sizable foyer. 

While it wasn't anything new to Techno, it certainly was to Dream, but Techno couldn't tell that what with Dream's stunned expression being hidden by white ceramic. 

"You sure ya don't want some armor? I could craft ya some iron or even diamond right now-" 

Techno's voice snapped Dream out of his surprised admiring of the mansion and he shook his head vigorously, "No, really, I'll be fine, Techno. Don't waste your resources like that."

"It wouldn't be a waste, they'd help cover vital areas-" 

Dream once again cut him off, but with a finger to his lips this time. He spoke with as much sincerity as he could as he knew Techno couldn't see it in his eyes, "I'm serious, Techno. I will be fine. We'll get in, you'll get all the loot you want, and we'll be gone. It's that easy." 

Techno was only half-listening if he was honest, the second Dream's gloveless finger made contact with his lips he was already thinking about how easy it would be to open his mouth and taste sun-kissed skin. Would Dream taste sweet? No, no, not his fingers at least. They were calloused and rough, they'd taste as powerful as they were. They had gripped a mighty axe, lit the fuses of TNT, packed obsidian together to box in L'Manberg. Who knows what else such strong, deft fingers were capable of... 

"Techno?" The hybrid jolted and met the eyes of the mask that was tilted in his direction, "Did you hear me?" 

"Uh, yeah, um. Wh-whatever ya say, Dream." Techno said then turned on his heel to walk inside. Dream raised a brow at the bizarre response but followed nonetheless. 

They were immediately met with the groans of zombies and the rattling of bones as torches did little to stop mob spawning. Techno didn't seem too worried about that though as he made his way to and up the stairs without sparing the first floor a single thought. Dream spent just a minute glancing around the mansion just to familiarize himself with the place before he was catching up with a striding Techno.

The second floor's first difference from the one below was the instant appearance of mobs rather than just sounds. Vindicators dotted the hallways but Techno made very easy work of them, his overpowered armor and diamond sword made sure of that--Toothpick just wouldn't have been practical here. He quickly located two evokers in a room, dodging the fanged entities that jutted out of the floor at him and swiftly cutting them both down, though not before they were able to summon those dreadful vexes. They were so unnecessarily annoying to deal with, phasing through walls and surprising him at angles he wasn't used to fighting at. 

When he finally succeeded in making the last one cease existing, he took a deep breath and pushed back the pieces of hair that had fallen into his face during the ordeal. He took the momentary downtime to sort out his inventory. The voices raved about how he should find more monsters to kill, already knowing their thirst for violence was unquenchable, but was interrupted by a familiar scream of pain. 

Techno was promptly back in the hallway, darting his head left and right in an effort to spot his companion, "Dream!?" He called out in hopes of getting some information on the direction he should head in. 

Unfortunately, that information came from another shout that had Techno dashing to the left and rounding a corner where he saw Dream being backed into a corner by a cluster of vindicators. Techno had never seen so many in one place, but it didn't deter him in the slightest. "Hey, nerds, why not pick a fair fight, eh!?" That luckily got their attention on him and they all turned to face him only to meet a quick demise by Techno's sword. 

He huffed in exasperation when the last one fell then immediately snapped his focus to Dream to see the masked man was on the floor now slumped against the dark oak wall. 

"Dream!" Techno switched off from his weapon and dropped down in front of his bloody ally. He pulled the shield and Dream's hand out of the way to get a better look at the other's wounds. There was a terrible gash on his right side and multiple lacerations on his arms from the vindicators ruthlessly hacking away. Dream was lucky he still had all his limbs attached to his body with how many of them Techno found surrounding him. 

The inevitable cries of delight from the voices at the sight of _actual blood_ distracted Techno for only a moment. They were loud, sure, but Techno knew in this context blood was a bad thing, _a very bad thing._ Not something to be excited about at all. 

"Shit, these are really deep cuts," Techno had to stop himself from saying 'I told you so' as he checked over the rest of Dream for any other potential injuries, and a he found a good number of them on his back where vindicators had surprised him from behind. 

Dream's breathing was labored and erratic, his hand soon going back to his side to apply pressure, "Fuckers jumped me in one of those rooms... I couldn't block all their attacks." He stated the unfortunate obvious, already becoming light-headed from the blood loss. 

Techno joined Dream in pressuring his profusely bleeding side. It was hot, the blood, and smelled _heavenly._ Techno's vision clouded momentarily at the thought of drinking up some of it, there wasn't a doubt in his mind that it'd taste like _pure ambrosia._

He vigorously shook his head to rid his brain of such thinking and began to search for ways to get Dream the treatment he needed. There were definitely no bandages around, and he hadn't brought potions of regeneration with him like an _idiot._ He looked around the hallway they were in as if a first aid kit would magically appear out of thin air if he just _wished with all his heart and soul-_

"Techno..." Dream voice came out soft and raspy, but was more than enough to get Techno's attention on him, "I... I'm about to..." He groaned in pain, his head dipping forward before falling back on hard wood, "D-don't freak out..." 

"What!? Don't freak out!? What kind of-you're bleedin' out, Dream!" Techno yelled as though unaware the pain all over Dream's body was already screaming at him, "If we don't get this bleedin' stopped and _soon,_ you... y-you'll..." The very thought of Dream dying when Techno was _right there_ and _completely useless_ made the pinkette sick to his stomach. Even the voices didn't like that outcome and they always enjoyed violence and death. 

"I'll be fine..." Dream choked out, coughing harshly and staining the inside of his mask with liquid redness. 

"Ya fuckin' said that earlier and now look at you! You're not goin' to be fine, you're losin' so much blood, I can't stop it all-" Tears were pooling in Techno's eyes and starting to rush down his cheeks. He couldn't remember the last time he had cried like this if ever, but the storm of emotions in Techno's heart was too much to be held back. 

Dream's silence scared Techno more than his hoarse voice and harsh coughs, "Dream?" No response. 

Techno shook him, "Dream!?!" Nothing. 

"Dream, don't you fuckin' dare leave me! Get up, ya can't just die on me like this!!" Techno brought Dream into his arms and onto his lap as he screamed. He clutched Dream's shoulders and head against his chest, burying his face in dirty blond hair. It was soft, just like he thought it would be. It was so fucking soft and Dream was dying, he was dead, he's dead, he's dead, _he's dead-_

Agony clawed at Techno's chest and brain as he rocked with Dream still silent in his arms, sobs erupting from his throat and violent shudders wracking his entire body. Tears were blurring his vision, effectively making him unable to see or think straight as he reeled from the knowledge that he was holding a corpse. 

A corpse that was suddenly not there. 

When Techno realized and looked down, all he held were clothes. Dream's bloody, ripped clothes. 

Then something squirmed in the pile. 

Techno hurriedly tore away the ruined clothes only for his gaze to find a little, white... _thing_ sitting atop Dream's pants. 

"What the fuck." Techno stated more than questioned, his voice still ruined from bawling his eyes out. The voices, having gone silent from anguish, were still so but now their being mute came from utter disbelief. 

The creature looked up at him with innocent black eyes and a wide smile. _Exactly like Dream's mask._

Techno was now even more confused. "Dr-.. Dream...?" There was hope in his tone. 

The thing made a noise at him--one of recognition, perhaps?--before jumping into his lap. Techno reached down to place his hands on the thing out of reflex and found that it was incredibly soft. A light squeeze confirmed it was also squishy, and ticklish apparently from the little giggle-like noise. The voices exploded into a chorus of 'aww's. 

This was it. Techno had finally gone insane. The death of one of his closest allies and long time crush officially broke him because there was _no way_ what was happening was reality. 

Maybe this was all an elaborate dream, or nightmare he should say. Techno pinched himself to check, and even when he clearly was not waking up he pinched harder just to make sure. 

The thing hopping off his lap was enough to make Techno give up on the hope that he was dreaming and quit the pinching. As he went to wipe his eyes, he realized how bloody his hands were and quickly wiped them clean on his red robe where the stain wouldn't show. When he looked back to the creature, he saw how it had made its way to Dream's hoodie and burrowed into the front pocket. Techno's confusion only multiplied when it came back out _somehow_ holding a folded paper. It returned and offered the paper to Techno who took it almost mechanically, incredulity making his movements stunted and unnatural. 

He hesitantly unfolded the bloodied paper and read it over:

_Hello!_

_If you're reading this, that means I've gone into my blob form without my being able to stop it._

_That probably also means I've been injured to a point of inability to stay in my normal form. If that's the case, don't worry! I'll be okay! I just need some time to recover in a form that's not so energy consuming. In the mean time, enjoy my blob form! It's still me, I just can't really talk or do much by myself. See you in a few days, hopefully!_

_-Dream :)_

"What the actual fuck." Techno slowly looked from the surprisingly neatly written words to the 'blob' that sat innocently in front of him. Without tears to block his vision, Techno could properly look over the creature. Apparently, this foot tall smiling marshmallow was Dream. 

Techno reached down to poke its side experimentally, earning another giggle sound and it shimmying away. It hopped back into Techno's lap and settled down there, but Techno wasn't letting it off the proverbial hook that easily, no matter how much the voices cooed at its cuteness. He picked it up and held it above his head, looking over its entire body with a suspicious gaze.

"Are you actually Dream?" Techno's shaky voice did not match his hard stare. 

It... beeped? Chirped? It responded with a single high pitched noise and a soft lime tint appeared below its eyes which closed(?) into two thin downward curves. 

Was that a yes? 

Techno wasn't sure of anything anymore. 

Minutes ago, Dream was bleeding out and dying in his arms. Now, Dream was a white blob that could speak in simple noises and seemed completely oblivious to the fact that he had nearly _died_. 

Techno's bottom lip started to quiver and tears were already building again. He slowly brought the blob back down to his lap, "I really thought you were gone, Dream..." His head tilted down until his pink bangs hid his cried out eyes, "I was so scared, terrified that I lost ya... I can't keep losin' the people I care about..." 

The blob was quiet until it squirmed out of Techno's hold to nuzzle up against his belly. Its body started to vibrate with purr-like sounds and exude a warmth that had Techno's tension falling away like an animal shedding its old skin. 

"O-okay, that's actually really nice, th-that makes me feel a lot better." Techno chuckled as he placed a gentle hand to the back of the blob--it just didn't feel right calling it Dream, at least not yet--and placed his other on top of its head to give it light pets. The blob purred louder at the attention, the small smile that was on Techno's lips grew fond. Until he saw the smudged bloody handprints on the sides of its body.

"Oh, sorry, little guy. Didn't mean to get that on ya..." The hybrid carefully cleaned the blob off with his robe, finding some difficulty with the task as the creature treated the action like he was tickling it again.

Petting and then cleaning it? He was already getting attached to the adorable blob creature. 

But really, how could he not? For one, cute small things were his biggest weakness. He loved dogs, cats, foxes, it took every bit of his will-power not to take home all the strays he found on his travels. And secondly, though this creature did resemble Dream's iconic mask, it acted quite different yet was still supposed to be Dream. Dream never seemed the super affectionate type and here the blob was acting not all that different from a clingy kitten, perhaps Techno just wasn't someone who Dream trusted enough to be touchy with. That made Techno deflate a little in disappointment, but it made sense too.

They were rivals; not enemies, but not quite friends either. And though Techno may trust and care for Dream dearly, that doesn't mean the feelings are mutual. He remembered what Dream said earlier at the table in the cottage, how he thought everyone hated him and was against him. Techno's petting stopped and the blob looked up at him with a curious tilt of its head. 

As Techno gazed down at the blob, he could only see the way those green eyes had dulled to the shade of moss. There was so much pain behind those glossy irises, betrayal, heartache, loneliness... He looked broken, a man at his wit's end with how much suffering he'd endured. That was meant to be the man everyone feared and hated? The sad, tired shell of a once great person was made out to be a horrible villain that was blamed for every problem that ever existed. 

How had no one seen it before? Was Techno the only one to witness Dream look so vulnerable? 

...Did Dream trust him just enough to not be terrified of asking for help? 

Techno suddenly brought the blob close against his chest. He heard it let out a squeak at the abrupt movement but it didn't protest, in fact it snuggled closer. "This form is your most defenseless state, isn't it? Ya can't do anythin' like this, ya can't speak, can't run away, can't fight back. You couldn't be an easier target..." 

Techno hugged the blob closer as he lowered his face against its soft head, feeling heat spread across every part of him that had contact with the creature, even through his armor, until his body felt like it had been dipped in warm syrup. "I will protect you. I won't let anythin' or anyone hurt you. I refuse to let anythin' cause ya more pain." He was glad to hear the voices shared the same sentiment, shouting 'protect,' 'defend,' and 'keep safe' left and right. 

The blob began to purr, and subsequently vibrate, again; Techno assumed it did that when it was happy. It made him happy to know he could make Dream, or at least his blob form, feel good. 

After basking in the blob's warmth and calming vibrations for a little longer, Techno seemed to remember they were in a hostile environment where mobs could jump them at any time. They were lucky a creeper hadn't wondered over by now, or anything for that matter. Techno didn't dwell on questioning it for too long. This mansion was far from a safe place for the blob and he definitely didn't want to be caught in the forest at night with it so getting to the house as quickly as possible was his current plan. 

He gathered up Dream's clothes and folded them before placing them in his inventory bag along with the boots, mask, netherite axe, and shield, then stood up from the carpeted floor. He kept the blob at his chest, slung his bag over his shoulder, and walked briskly back to the wide staircase. The mobs that were there to greet him at the first floor were ignored, Techno cared far more for keeping the blob bracketed securely in his arms than taking out his sword to cut down the pests. 

Back outside, the sun had already begun its descent from the middle of the sky. There were still hours before it truly started to set, but Techno was not taking the chance. Any remaining evokers and loot would still be at the mansion for conquering at a later date, the blob's safety was much more important. 

So, Techno walked the path he and Dream took to get to the mansion as best as he could. He was relieved to find Dream had placed torches along the path to mark it which made the trip much more efficient since Techno never had to worry about wrong turns. The torches were especially effective as they were impossible to miss in the darkness of the dark oak forest and they stopped immediate mob spawns.

Soon enough, the clearing with the cottage came into view and Techno hurried over to push open the door. The warmth of being inside relaxed Techno immensely once he closed the door behind himself. He had a mini heart attack, however, as the blob jumped out of his arms and onto the floor soundlessly. It didn't look hurt in the slightest as it hopped over to a nearby chest and pushed the lid up with its head. Its little body wiggled under the lid until it tumbled inside the chest and allowed it to close with a snap. 

"What the-" Techno went over and crouched down in front of the chest to open it up, his gaze instantly found the blob which looked up at him as it bobbed on a red leather bound book. "What in the world are ya doin'?" 

The blob scooted off the book to reveal the title it had been covering. Techno leaned in closer and read, "How to take care of blob Dream. By Dream... Was he, or I guess you, expectin' somethin' like this to happen?"

Techno glanced at the blob which nodded as Techno took the book out to open its front cover. The handwriting was the same as the paper that currently sat in Techno's ruffle blouse pocket and read:

_This book is a handy guide to taking care of me now that I'm a blob. Don't fret! I'm very easy to look after._

_I don't need any food or drink, I can mostly get around the house by myself, but! I do require constant attention. Like a dog or a small child that doesn't need to be fed. Also, I don't technically need to sleep but I often will rest if I feel very warm and/or safe._

_That's it really! Just don't leave me alone and I'll be fine :)_

"Constant attention, huh?" Techno looked back to the blob which had taken to jumping out of the chest and back onto Techno's lap. It seemed to enjoy snuggling against his stomach for whatever odd reason, but Techno wasn't complaining. "Yeah, that sounds about right." 

Though the first page claimed 'that's it really,' curiosity made Techno turn to the next pages. There was more:

_You don't have to worry about me being like this for very long either, in the past I've only been a blob for at most four days. I would explain more here but it's a little complicated and I could probably answer all your questions a lot better in my normal form so until that time comes, please be patient! Though clingy, I like to think blob me isn't too bad of a companion :)_

And that was where the book truly ended. There were more pages sure, but a quick flip through showed they were all blank. The other contents of the chest caught Techno's eye but he wasn't one to snoop around in other people's stuff like a certain raucous blue eyed blond, so Techno simply put the book back, closed the chest, and stood up with the blob in his arms. 

"Well, if ya don't need food or sleep, and I can't just leave ya alone, what do you want to do?" Techno asked the blob cuddled up to his chest. It perked up at being questioned and looked around the room before jumping out of Techno's arms again much to his chagrin, "Can you quit doin' that? Does it not hurt to fall from that height for ya?" Techno was by no means short, standing at roughly 6'3 normally but the heeled knee highs he wore brought him to a solid 6'8. 'Technoheel POG,' the voices babbled. 

The blob turned its body to face him and shook its head with something along the lines of a 'mm-mm' sound before approaching the stairs. 

"Wait, ya mean, you don't take damage? Or, at least, not fall damage? Is it 'cause you're so squishy? You just absorb the impact or somethin'?" Techno followed after and picked the blob back up to carry it up the stairs like he assumed it wanted. He supposed going up the stairs by itself would be quite the hassle. 

The blob nodded, a high-pitched 'mhm!' coming from... _somewhere_ as it settled in Techno's hold. 

"Huh. That's actually pretty cool. Useful too, if ya get like this when Dream's-or, I mean, when _you_ are severely injured then it'd be pretty counter-productive to be able to get hurt more." Techno mused mostly to himself as the blob didn't seem to be paying much attention to his words anymore. It was preoccupied with snuggling against Techno's tough netherite chest-plate. 

The upstairs consisted of an attic turned bedroom. There was a bed on the wall perpendicular to where the stairs led up to, an enchanting table and accompanying bookshelves around it in the far corner, and the last corner of the room had a door that Techno could only assume was a closet. Instead of generic paintings, the walls featured photos of familiar faces. Most were Dream with friends, ex-friends now, but a few were just Dream or the friends-now-ex-friends alone. Even though Dream believed these people loathed him, he still hung photos of them around his room, clearly still cherishing the memories of better times. Techno smiled softly, Dream was more sentimental and attached than he led on.

"So, this is your bedroom. What did ya want to do up here?" 

Techno watched as the blob once again leapt out of his arms and hopped to the enchanting setup. It didn't go for the enchanting table as anyone else would, however, it instead went to the bookshelves. 

"The books? What, ya want me to read to you?" Techno said mostly as a joke but the blob nodded vigorously, "Oh. Um, sure. Didya have any certain stories in mind?" The pinkette took off the purple armor he wore and placed it on a nearby empty armor stand, cringing at the dried blood on the shining metal. _Dream's blood..._ He shook his head of the rather unpleasant thoughts and went and lowered himself to his knees where the blob was. 

The blob appeared to browse the selection available to it, that being all the books on the lowest shelves it could see, and _somehow_ pulled one out to show Techno. 

"This one? Ya sure?" Techno asked as he took it in hand and skimmed over the dark blue cover. He heard another 'mhm' sound as the blob nodded out of the corner of his eye. Techno shrugged, "If you say so. C'mon, let's get up on the bed so we're not on the hard floor." The blob seemed to agree and allowed Techno to pick it up to head to the lime bed in the opposite corner of the room. 

Once Techno had settled on sitting at the head of the bed with the pillow supporting his lower back--first taking his shoes off as that'd just be disrespectful, he let the blob figure out its own seating arrangement while he opened the book to its first page. The blob shuffled around before finally plopping down on its side in Techno's lap like a cat curling up in a warm, sunny spot on the floor. 

"Comfy?" Amusement rang clear in Techno's voice. He took the purrs he got in response as confirmation and began to read. 

* * *

Hours later, when the sun was past the point of setting and night had almost completely taken over, Techno awoke from his accidental nap with a terrible soreness in his neck. It drew a pained grunt from him as he blearily looked around. His surroundings confused him at first until he glanced down to see the blob creature still curled in his lap and the book he was reading turned upside down atop his knees. So, it really wasn't all a dream. 

Dream really was stuck like this for however long it took his normal form to recover from its injuries. In the meantime, Techno had to stay with the blob. He wondered why it was the blob needed attention, did it 'feed' off being loved and cared for? Dream wasn't able to get such basic human decency in his normal form so it seemed his blob form made up for that by being so cute and sweet you couldn't _not_ love him. But, if Techno was going to be stuck at the cabin for potential _days_ , he'd have to let Phil know his trip was going to take longer than he anticipated. 

He couldn't find it in himself to be bothered by that, however. In fact, he was looking forward to some actual peace and quiet with the most adorable little creature he'd ever seen. And after that, maybe some quality time with Dream. There was _a lot_ Techno wanted to know. But, the blob of course couldn't give very detailed responses and the book that had the guide on taking care of it was just as useless so it was playing the waiting game for Techno. 

A part of him didn't want to get up, though a growing hunger grumbled at him to do just that; he didn't want to wake the blob. It didn't sleep, but the book said it could rest and who was Techno to disturb the sweet little thing? 

He first closed the book and set it aside on the floor then reached down to carefully ghost his fingers over the blob's side, feeling satin soft skin under his touch. Though Techno tried his hardest not to rouse the creature, it awoke anyway, or at least it moved and lifted its head if sleeping really wasn't what it was doing prior. Techno's fingers halted but soon resumed petting as the blob bumped its head against them. Techno felt himself getting lost in the nice moment, just sitting in the comfy bed with a warm, squishy bundle purring and vibrating on his lap. He wasn't certain on how long he sat there, doing nothing more than stroking the blob in peace, but he knew he couldn't continue once the rumbling of his stomach startled the white creature. It looked up at him curiously and Techno looked away in embarrassment. Embarrassment of what, he wasn't sure. It was a perfectly normal occurrence when one grew very hungry. Perhaps it was because it pretty effectively ruined the moment Techno was enjoying so much. 

"Guess I shouldn't ignore that, huh?" Techno looked back to the blob with a nervous smile that turned warm when the blob giggled. He brought the blob into his arms and made the short trek to the kitchen downstairs, wincing a little at the dull ache in his back he got for falling asleep in the position that he had. 

"Where do ya keep your stock? Do you know?" The pinkette questioned as he glanced around the kitchen. The blob hopped out of Techno's hold and bounced over to a chest in the corner. Techno nodded in understanding and approached it as well, finding it well stocked on more ingredients than Techno anticipated. Not surprisingly, potatoes caught and kept his attention along with that of the voices who seemed to like the vegetable as much as he did. He took a couple out and placed them inside the closest furnace that was already equipped with coal. 

The coals burst into flames with a single spark from Techno's flint and steel, leaving the hybrid to wait in front of it. It didn't take long at all for the blob to find its favorite resting place, Techno's lap. Techno looked down to the blob, "Can't leave ya alone for a second, huh? That might be a problem when I need to use the bathroom, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, I s'pose." The blob didn't respond, not with anything of substance--though it never really did, technically, just purred as it sat on Techno's lap. 

Even when Techno had taken to sitting at the table to eat his baked potatoes, a food which he missed the taste of _so much_ , the blob refused to take up any spot that wasn't his lap.

Briefly, and entirely uncalled for, Techno wondered what the blob would taste like. 

The thought sobered Techno from the slight trance he had gone into while eating, reeling even from the sheer absurdity his brain conjured up. _What the fuck kind of question is that?_

It made him stop mid-bite and slowly look down at the white bundle. The blob was quiet for once, and mostly still aside from the occasional brush of its head against Techno's stomach. 

As silly and frankly creepy the question was, Techno didn't have anything better to do so he decided to humor it with a bit of mulling over. At first, Techno figured it would taste like nothing. Nothing discernible, anyway. It was just a squishy bag with a permanent smile and black dot eyes in the simplest description. There was no reason for it to have a certain taste. 

... _But what if it was sweet?_

What if it tasted like pure sugar, or even molasses? What if what was waiting for Techno's tongue on smooth skin was the sweetest, most mouth-watering flavor known to man? 

Techno bit his lip. He could, if he really wanted to. It would be _so easy. All he had to do was lift it up, stick out his tongue, and-_

Okay. That was enough humoring that thought. Techno shook his head clear and went back to eating his baked potatoes. 

* * *

The next few days went by quite uneventfully. Techno had warned Phil his trip would take longer because the mansion was farther than he thought, and Phil of course was fine with it as long as Techno promised to stay safe. 

He got well acquainted with the cottage in the time he spent there, practically memorizing the place in all its subtle details. The days were peaceful and the nights allowed him to get some of the best sleep he'd had in a long while, especially with the warmth and calmness the blob gave off. 

Speaking of, he noticed his thoughts about the blob were only getting worse. He never should've humored that initial question with any sort of answer. Now, far too often did his mind wander to things he didn't even think about with _Dream._ He supposed now he did, technically, because the blob was Dream. 

The voices were no help either, they seemed very on board with the ideas, matter of fact. The majority of them encouraged him, trying to convince him to actually act upon those salacious desires. What few didn't agree with such thoughts were drowned out further by Techno's self-induced sexual repression. That was likely the biggest reason why he could never keep his mind clean when it came to Dream. Though he wondered why Dream specifically seemed to trigger his carnal instincts, the potential reasons made him quickly switch to a different thought. He knew he liked Dream, how could he not? He regarded the man as his equal in nearly every way possible, able to keep up with him both mentally and physically, not to mention Dream was naturally very attractive so of course Techno would be interested. But, there was something more. Deeper feelings than just great respect and innate wants, but addressing those feelings terrified Techno more than he'd like to admit. 

So, he wallowed in self-pity and dirty thoughts that only got dirtier the longer he was with the blob. Mostly it was pure curiosity. How would the blob taste? What other types of sounds could it make? Techno never saw any kind of openings on the blob--and don't worry, he definitely checked, but that didn't necessarily mean there weren't any. 

Yet no matter how much he wanted to, he stopped himself every time from doing anything inappropriate to the innocent creature. He knew how easy it'd be, how all it would take was a good grip and he could do whatever he wanted with the blob, but he couldn't betray Dream like that. This form was Dream's absolute weakest, anyone else on the server would take advantage of the opportunity to so efficiently get rid of their biggest enemy. The last thing Techno wanted was to make Dream think he was just like everyone else. He wanted to protect Dream; he promised he would, and Techno was a man of his word. 

On the fourth day of taking care of the blob, Techno rose with the sun. He yawned and stretched out his back, hearing a chorus of satisfying cracks and pops. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Techno first watched the outside as he basked in the tranquility and beauty of the sun rise. His hand absent-mindedly went to pet the blob that he had taken to cuddling with at night only for his touch to meet warm skin that didn't immediately sink under the gentle pressure. He looked down in confusion, then his eyes widened and his hand retracted when he saw it wasn't the blob beside him any longer. 

It was Dream. _Human_ Dream. 

He slept peacefully on his side facing Techno, free of the injuries he had sustained previously--there weren't even scars. Dream was shirtless, in fact, he was probably completely naked Techno realized as the ripped, bloody clothes didn't transform with him. He knew that much as those clothes were still in his inventory bag, he almost forgot about them. 

With the knowledge that Dream was almost certainly nude under the comforter, Techno's mind was already racing. Dream's lips always looked so kissable, even more so now when they were parted in his sleep and soft breaths passed through them. His skin was flawless as ever, only occasionally marred by cicatrices, but the beautiful array of freckles overshadowed those by a long-shot. He could see the outline of Dream's pelvic bone, Dream's lean build showing off a firm muscle structure beneath near perfect flesh. Glancing further down, Techno noticed the blanket rested just at Dream's hip from where Techno had sat up and made it slide down their bodies. That meant that just below the cover awaited his-

Techno quickly slapped his own cheek to make himself look away. He scrubbed at the sides of his heating face as if doing so could banish the dirty thoughts and inciting voices alone. 

He was hungry, he decided. He wasn't really, but he couldn't stand staying in the same bed with the sole object of his desires so he made up an excuse for himself to leave. Not that he actually needed one, he could get up when he wanted, but his mind convinced itself that unless he had a good reason then he should just stay to admire the admin and maybe let his hands roam a little because Dream was sound asleep so he wouldn't be able to say no and even if he was he should let Techno do as he pleased anyway since the pinkette didn't have to take care of his blob form, it'd be payment for being such a good person, _please just stay, his skin is so smooth and his hair so soft, his lips probably taste so good and if his laugh was the best sound Techno ever heard then just imagine his moans-_

Techno ripped the blanket off himself and stumbled out of bed, going down the stairs two at a time without another glance to Dream's sleeping form. He filled his brain with thoughts of a hearty breakfast involving baked potatoes and juicy steak instead of sun-kissed skin and half-lidded green eyes. 

He got to work with just that, taking two potatoes out of one chest and a cut of meat from the chilled chest. Techno learned on the second day here that Dream somehow got a hold of packed ice, put a block of it in a normal chest, and hollowed out a chunk of it to put meats and drinks in because _of course_ Dream was smart and resourceful enough to think of such a thing. 

The meat would take longer to cook so Techno slid that into the furnace first and set on cleaning the potatoes in the meantime. As it often would happen when he was doing menial tasks such as cooking or eating, Techno went into a trance of preparing the potatoes and checking on the meat. It felt weird to not have the blob at his side either observing quietly or vying for attention by nudging his hand when it wasn't occupied. Already he missed the little thing, but he knew it was for the best. For both Dream as it meant he had fully recovered from his injuries and for himself as it let him get a handle on his spiraling psyche. 

"You sure made yourself at home quick." Techno jolted at the sudden voice and turned around to see Dream _thankfully_ fully clothed in a white tunic and dark brown trousers leaning against the door frame. 

"Well, you certainly weren't cookin' anythin' and I'm tryin' to not eat those golden carrots for as long as I'm able." Techno reminded with a playful bite to his words. Of course he didn't mind, but Dream didn't need to know that. 

"That's true," Dream looked uncomfortable then as he looked off out the single window in the kitchen. 

"You, uh, you okay?" Techno furrowed his brows in concern. 

Dream was quiet for a moment before he nodded solemnly, "Yeah, I mean, I'm all healed up now. I just... You're probably the last person I ever wanted seeing me like... _that_." 

"Oh." 

Silence filled the room after that. Techno faced forward again to stare down at the wet potatoes he held above the cauldron water. It made sense, he told himself. They were rivals, any alliances were purely circumstantial. No matter what Techno felt, their dynamic seemed too set in stone to be changed now. 

Arms wrapping around his middle and a heat pressing to his back made Techno tense, "But... thank you. You stayed when you didn't have to, kept my blob form company when you probably would've much preferred getting back home. So, truly, thank you. I guess I owe you a favor too now." Dream's fluffy hair tickled the back of Techno's neck as the blond rested his forehead against the hybrid's nape. 

"Y-yeah, um, no problem. Ya don't gotta owe me anythin', you weren't too annoyin' to deal with." Techno made an attempt at lightening the mood. 

It worked as he soon heard, and felt, Dream let out a breathy laugh, "That's good to hear." Dream then pulled away, much to Techno's simultaneous disappointment and relief, and left to kneel by one of the food chests. He picked out a shiny red apple, stood up, and left the kitchen with an audible bite of the fruit. 

Not too long afterwards, Techno joined Dream at the table in the living room. A relative peace fell over the two, the outside being just as quiet as the forest was just starting to wake up. 

When Dream had consumed the apple down to its core, he twisted it by its stem and watched it twirl in the air. "I'm sure you probably have a lot of questions and I definitely owe you an explanation, so don't hesitate to ask-" 

"What are you?" Was Techno's immediate response.

Dream looked up to him in slight surprise before a nervous chuckle left his mouth, "Right out the gate, huh?" 

Techno waited as Dream set the apple core down and crossed his arms on the table. The admin sighed heavily, his shoulders slouched yet tense, "It's a long, complicated story. Are you sure you wanna know the full truth? I've never told anyone before, not even George or Sapnap know..." 

"Well, have they had to take care of a blob you that requires constant supervision?" 

Dream winced and a tight smile curled his lips, "No, they haven't. No one's ever seen me like that, no one alive anyway..." Techno didn't like the sound of that.

A shaky breath, then Dream began his tale, "I wasn't always like this. Once upon a time, many, many, many years ago, I was completely human. I forget the name I had then, something probably old timey and corny. At the time, I was completely normal, living in a small town with a partner I can't remember and a kid that I'm pretty sure wasn't biologically ours but that we loved just the same. I do remember being happy, probably the happiest I've ever been, but it didn't last long. 

"Our town started to be attacked by some... _force._ Every morning, we'd all wake up and realize one of the townsfolk was missing. When we would investigate, we'd see they had been murdered. Twisted and mangled in violent, unnatural ways that human bodies absolutely _can not_ bend in and that no one in town was strong enough to force them into. The corpses started to pile up and I prayed one night that it would never go after me or my family. That's when **It** appeared to me... "

Dream paused and Techno let him take the moment to recollect himself. The memories were clearly painful for Dream to recall. 

"This thing, this... _entity_ showed up and said It would leave the town alone if I agreed to be Its host." 

"Host?" Techno questioned with furrowed brows. 

Dream nodded, "It told me It could see something in me, whatever that meant, and I just couldn’t let It hurt another innocent soul, certainly not one of my family's, so I agreed. Everything was fine at first, for a while there was peace again. Until..." The admin lowered his head forward and clasped his hands together, "Until I could feel Its need for chaos and destruction. It wanted me to kill, and It didn't care who. It'd even whisper to me to kill my partner or my child and that's when I knew I had to leave. I had to get away to protect them. It hurt to leave them alone without warning like I did, but I feared that I'd soon not be able to control the urges so I went as far away as I could.

"I lived many lifetimes after that. I'd find towns to stay in for a couple nights, but I never stayed for long. How could I when just a few nights in I'd wake up from blacking out with blood on my hands and corpses in the room?" Techno could see tears begin to gather on Dream's golden lashes. Not quite sure how to verbally respond, he slowly reached over to place a hand atop Dream's forearm when the admin's shoulders started to shake. Dream glanced up to meet Techno's kind ruby gaze and matched the pinkette's gentle smile with a grateful one. His hand joined Techno's where he rubbed over knuckles much paler than his own before continuing. 

"I traveled a long time, never in one place for more than a week, until I found this area. The Dream SMP. It was completely untouched, no people for hundreds of thousands of miles, so I settled down. Eventually met Sapnap and George, then slowly everyone else filled in and I'm sure you know what happened after that.

"I've gotten a better handle on It since then. I haven't blacked out in a while, but... that actually terrifies me. Because that means Its desires are slowly becoming my own more and more to the point where I can't tell if it's It that wants to kill and destroy or me. And I don't even know what 'me' means anymore, the line between myself and the _thing_ gets blurrier every day..."

Techno could hear the genuine fear in Dream's voice. He gave Dream's forearm a light squeeze and Dream squeezed back, "Have ya tried to get It out at all or is it too late for that?" 

Dream laughed but it was utterly devoid of actual humor, "It's way too late... Tubbo and Fundy did attempt _something_ though, they called It a Dreamon and said all they needed to do was exorcise it outta me and I'd be back to my 'normal self'." Dream shook his head, "They were so naive. But I knew they meant well so I went along with it. Their efforts amused It and It played along too, though It expressed to me afterwards that It didn't like the label of a violent spirit that had just latched onto me out of the blue." 

"Wait, It talked to you? And if It's not some demon or spirit then what the hell is It?" 

"I wish I could tell you but I have absolutely no clue what the fuck It is. The best way I can describe It is like a parasite. It uses my body as a host to get what It wants, that being chaos and destruction on a scale It can't get on Its own. And yeah, It talks to me all the time. Sometimes so loudly I can barely hear myself think... In fact, It's talking right now."

"Really? What's It sayin'?" 

Dream was a quiet for a second. He bowed his head again to hide his face and his voice lowered to a tone Techno had never heard from Dream before, "That you need to die. You know too much now. Anyone who knows the truth is a problem that requires dealing with."

Techno tensed and swallowed thickly as Dream's hold on his hand tightened painfully. He didn't pull away, however. Instead, he brought his other hand to the one on top of his own and rubbed carefully over Dream's knuckles just as Dream had done to him, "Dream." He said firmly whilst leaning in. 

Dream seemed to snap out of whatever spell he was under and looked up to lock eyes with the piglin hybrid. The physical contact and Techno's calm tone seemed to ground Dream in reality as that natural shine returned to the blond's eyes. They stayed like that, faces inches apart, as Dream appeared to search for something in Techno's wine red pools. When Techno assumed he had found it, or gave up, Dream leaned in as well to rest his forehead against the pinkette's.

His eyes soon fluttered closed, and Techno kept patient while he got a hold of himself again. Dream's breathing was still unstable which reminded Techno of something Phil had taught him whenever the voices and the urges got to be too much.

"Dream? Dream, look at me." Techno stroked the back of Dream's hand as the admin opened his eyes halfway. The pinkette could see Dream's eyes had become dim and unfocused again, "Let's do a breathin' exercise, okay? Do it with me, ready?" Dream nodded slightly, his forehead still to Techno's. 

"Okay, breathe in through your nose for four seconds. Go ahead." Dream did as told, inhaling as much air as he could as Techno counted to four. 

"Hold it for seven seconds for me." The admin was deathly still, Techno's counting being the only sound in the air. Even the usual forest noises outside were eerily silent. 

"Now exhale through your mouth 'til I reach eight." Dream's breath was warm and sweet from the apple Techno noted while he counted. He also noticed the breath was still shaky so he helped Dream to repeat the steps until the tension had left Dream's posture and his respiring was steady again. 

After that, the silence became much more relaxing as the rise and fall of the pair's chests synced up. "Thank you for that, Techno..." Dream whispered softly. Techno only then saw how close they were, how the gap between their lips had never been smaller, but this was absolutely not the time to think about peachy lips that probably tasted like paradise with a hint of apple-

Dream pulled away then, feeling enough like himself to be fine on his own, "Anything else you wanna know?" 

Techno straightened his back as well, "Uh, yeah. I'm guessin' the blob is a side effect of havin' that thing in ya?" He said. 

"Yup. Wouldn't be a very good host if I'm dead so It forces me into that state whenever I suffer life-threatening injuries." 

Techno nodded and realized he was still holding onto Dream's hand so he removed his hand from the top of the stack, the other Dream kept in a firm but gentle grasp. 

"That makes sense." Techno said just to fill the air. It was a fleeting relief from an all-too familiar quietude, and though it wasn't uncomfortable it wasn't wholly preferred either. 

Dream finally spoke after what felt like an eternity, "I hate it so much..." 

"The blob form?" 

Dream nodded once, "Yeah. I just feel so weak like that. So vulnerable. If you were anyone else, _anyone else,_ I know they wouldn't hesitate to pick me up and rip me apart or cut me in half or throw me in the nearest pit of lava and I wouldn't be able to do a damn thing about it." Dream's grip on Techno's hand tightened again, "It's so pathetic. I despise it..." 

"I think it's kinda cute..." Techno murmured to himself. 

Dream looked up at him with a confused expression, "What?" 

"I-I mean, boot! Boots, um, I-I have your boots and your clothes and all your stuff from th-that day when you transformed. The clothes are messed up though, all cut up and there's no way those bloodstains are comin' out so... The boots you could probably clean up, mask too, your axe and shield were fine. J-just thought I should let ya know... " Techno finally finished his rushed spiel with burning cheeks and rubbing at the back of his neck nervously.

"Oh." was Dream's only response. 

... 

Now the silence was awkward. 

"U-um," Techno dared to speak at the cost of making a fool of himself again, but he'd rather that than this insufferable stillness, "are ya still hungry?" 

"No, I'm fine. Not too hungry this morning." 

"Almost three days without eatin' and you're not hungry?" Techno raised a disbelieving brow. 

"It's different in the blob form, I'm-" 

"Dream." The dirty blond looked up to see a baked potato in his face, "Just eat it." 

After pouting as his cheeks turned red, Dream leaned forward and took a bite of the softened vegetable. 

Techno smiled at his compliance, "Gotta eat if ya ever want to gain some kind of muscle mass." 

"I do have muscles, they're just in my legs." Dream huffed defiantly, seeming like he would cross his arms and turn his nose up if his hands weren't occupied with tracing a scar on Techno's palm and his mouth wasn't busy taking another offered bite of baked potato. 

He was right, there wasn't a doubt in Techno's mind that Dream's thighs and calves were more sculpted than the rest of his body. It was something he fantasized about often, actually, thighs thick with thew just begging to be caressed as Techno worked his way to where they trembled below him-

"Hey, Techno?" The pinkette snapped out of his daydreaming to see Dream suddenly looking nervous, shy even, which Techno had never seen on his face before. 

"Yeah?" 

"Um..." Dream fixed his gaze on Techno's hand, finding great interest in all the little impurities, "Do you think you could maybe... stay one more day?" 

Innocent green eyes looked up to his and instantly reminded Techno of an expression his dogs would give him when they wanted more food. The difference here was Techno could ignore them, he was used to those kinds of looks, but this one he couldn't even begin to deny. Not when irides as vibrant as emeralds stared directly into his soul and tugged _hard_ on all his already abused heartstrings. 

"Of course," Techno replied with a gentle smile. His heart melted further when he saw Dream's lips curl in a grateful smile of their own. 

"Thank you." He whispered, "I just... don't know if I can be alone right now." 

"I'll stay as long as ya need me to, Dream." 

"I appreciate that, but just the rest of today should be fine." 

Dream's smile had widened at Techno's kindness, and Techno decided he never wanted that beauty to leave Dream's face. 

* * *

Techno had learned more that day. He learned Dream absolutely could not sit still for too long. His favorite pastime was parkouring through the trees, and when Techno wouldn't follow him--because he was so _damn fast, how does he even move his body like that--_ he would spar with the pinkette. Friendly battles of stone swords to brush Dream up on his swordsmanship as he was already exceptional with his axe; Techno quickly discovered that even a wooden one in that man's hands was a scary thing to face. 

He also learned why Dream normally had his mask on, or at least he theorized a good reason why. The admin was _extremely_ expressive. Techno never had to guess what Dream was thinking, his face said it all. In truth, he was animated to a fault, often his expressions would cost him their benign spars as Techno never missed when Dream's nose would crinkle every time he recognized he was open to some attack which Techno dutifully took advantage of.

Something Techno already knew but still found noteworthy was Dream's constant on-switch when it came to talking. If he wasn't going on about one thing he was rambling about another, and any stories he tried to tell would turn into stories about some aspect of the last one which deteriorated into a never-ending spool of unfinished tales Techno had to cut off otherwise Dream truly _wouldn't_ stop talking. Techno didn't complain though, and if he did it was out of worry for Dream's larynx as he _adored_ the sound of Dream's natural melody. 

After a day of running and sparring, when the sun fully set and the stars began to blink into visible existence, Techno learned that Dream knew _every_ constellation.

"That one's the skeleton archer." Dream pointed at the sky, "See, that's the bow and there's all his bones outlined." His finger drew lines along some twinkling lights Techno pretended to see as well. He had only ever used stars to navigate, not to see pictures in. 

"There's a sea turtle, and look! It's even got baby turtles with it." Techno hummed to let Dream know he was listening, an amused smile on his lips. 

"And there's the creeper, or at least that's what I've heard people say. Personally, I don't see it." 

Techno's eyelids drooped. The serenity of this moment eased his mind in preparation for a good sleep, aided greatly by the softness of the grass under his body and Dream's soothing tone. He could listen to the blond spout nonsense until the end of his days and never grow bored. Spending the rest of his life with Dream sounded like bliss in his honest opinion, especially if every day went like this one. 

He heard Dream yawn before sitting up from the grass and stretching out his back, "Well, I'm tired. You ready to head to bed too?" 

Techno only grunted in response but copied Dream's movements. He gladly accepted when a hand reached down to him and used its support to pull him into standing upright. They walked back into the cabin with Dream leading, the admin putting out the hung torches on the way upstairs. 

The piglin hybrid only then realized, "Wait, there's only one bed." 

He was right, only one lime green bed sat in the corner of the attic. This wasn't new knowledge to him, he knew this from sleeping multiple nights in it with the blob, but its implications only hit him when Dream was human. 

Dream looked back at him from where he was opening the closet. He raised a confused brow, "Yeah? You should've known that though." 

"Yes, but... I mean, won't it be a little weird?" 

The blond shrugged, "I don't see why it would. We've technically already slept together, I was just a blob before." He turned back to the closet and began to undress. 

Techno quickly looked away and out the nearest window, "Exactly, it was different then! It was like sharin' a bed with a cat, b-but I've never-" 

"Then we can face away from each other if it bothers you so much." Dream said, and Techno could've sworn there was a hint of hurt in Dream's words. The sound of the closet door closing prompted Techno to look back only to see Dream half naked in low-riding gray pants. He really hoped his blush wasn't too visible in the darkness. 

"W-will the bed even be big enough for the both of us?" 

"Should be." Dream yawned again as he padded barefoot to the bed and climbed in, facing away from Techno and towards the wall. 

Techno was still glued to his spot by the railing, "B-but what if it isn't-" 

"Technoblade, you're making a big deal outta nothing, just get in bed already. There's isn't anywhere else for you to sleep and I'm not letting you sleep on the floor, I'd be a terrible host if I did." Dream huffed after his speech that left no room for objections. 

Right, no big deal. Techno was only about to sleep next to the man who has held all his silent pining and admiring since they met at that tournament all that time ago. He took a deep breath and walked over to the bed. Easing himself onto the mattress and laying his head on the pillow was relatively simple, even pulling the blanket over his form wasn't too bad. However, the gravity of the situation truly sank in when Dream's body heat began to permeate from the contact of their backs against one another's. 

"Goodnight, Techno." Dream whispered softly. 

"G-goodnight, Dream..." Techno mumbled back. 

He swallowed thickly and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to think of anything that wasn't Dream's half nude body against his own. Eventually, his mind did turn off and he was able to slip into unconsciousness. 

* * *

Techno slowly opened his eyes to the sight of the sunlight streaming in through the window and the feeling of dirty blond hair tickling his mouth and nose. The warmth of the body he held beckoned him to fall back to sleep, and he almost answered that call when he nuzzled his face deeper into the fluffy golden locks. 

Until his eyes snapped open in realization. 

Techno immediately scrambled away from Dream's slumbering form with a yelp, his entire face flushing red. In his haste, he lost his balance and grunted as he fell off the bed onto the cold hardwood floor. 

The thud of him hitting the floor jolted Dream awake, green eyes fluttering a few times before he pushed himself up on the mattress, "Techno..?" 

The pinkette sprung up onto his feet, "Hey!" Dream turned to see Techno standing straight as a board with a heavy blush, "S-sorry, did I wake you?" 

Dream laughed softly, a tired smile gracing his lips, "Yeah, but it's okay. Uh, good morning." 

"Y-yes, a good mornin' it is. A good mornin' indeed, uuuumm..." Techno scratched awkwardly at the back of his neck, searching for something, _anything,_ to fill the growing silence. 

"Are you hungry?" Dream asked, either not knowing or ignoring the cause of Techno's odd behavior. 

"Uh, yeah, sure." 

Dream nodded a bit then yawned and stretched as he got up from the bed much more gracefully than Techno had, "You mind starting it while I get changed? Make whatever you want, I should be down in a few minutes." 

Techno nodded and tried to walk as calmly as he could with his heart hammering in his chest across the room and down the stairs to the kitchen. 

After a quick breakfast of sunny-side up eggs, slices of bread, and porkchops with a fully dressed Dream, Techno was ready to set off for home. He stood at Dream's open door now, armor on and inventory bag slung over his shoulder. 

"Oh! Before I forget." Dream left his side to retrieve something from a chest. When he came back, he was holding a small pouch and a rolled up piece of paper. 

He held out the paper first, "A list of coordinates for my other bases, in case you ever need to seek shelter and you happen to be near one." 

Techno raised an amused brow, "I thought ya said you weren't gonna rent 'em out."

Dream rolled his eyes, "I'm not. I'm saying you have my full permission to access and utilize all my bases as necessary, _asshole._ "

" _Rude,_ but thank you." Techno gave him an appreciative though still playful smile before looking back down as he was offered the pouch. 

"And this," Dream opened the pouch to reveal a few brown squares of... _something._ "It's called chocolate. At least, that's what the villager who gave me the recipe said. It's made from cocoa powder, sugar, and milk, and they can be made into any shapes you want, squares were just the easiest for me. Here, try one." He took one out and raised it to Techno's mouth. 

Techno stared at it skeptically before opening his lips and taking the 'chocolate' inside. It took only one crunch to make the solid substance break; its taste was sweet and rich as it melted on Techno's tongue. "Mm, that's actually really good." 

"I'm glad you like it! Take some more for the road, just keep it in your inventory so it doesn't melt. That'd be annoying to clean up." Dream chuckled as he tied the pouch back up and dropped it in Techno's free hand. 

"I'll be sure to do that, thank you. Now, are ya sure you'll be okay on your own? I'm fine with stayin' a little longer-" Techno spoke, clearly hesitant to leave, but Dream stopped him with a shake of his head and a reassuring smile.

"I'll be fine, Techno, you don't gotta worry about me. I'll see you later. Safe travels, man." 

"If you're really sure... Bye, Dream." Techno turned away and heard the door close behind him. He blew a soft sigh and willed himself to not look back as he made his way along the gravel path.

Both the paper and the pouch were in his inventory bag prior to him entering the forest. As much as he tried, he couldn't help throwing a fond smile back to the dark oak cabin before it could be hidden by the thick trees. The pinkette hadn't felt genuine happiness and relaxation like that in a while, he already missed the comforting feel of the home. As much as his heart ached to race back into Dream's arms, his head knew better. Perhaps in another lifetime they could be together, happy and secluded, away from those who use and view them as weapons of mass destruction, but reality was never so benevolent. There was still Tommy to deal with, there was still some of his stuff to get back from the Butcher Army, there was still revenge to be had. Until everything was wrapped up in a neat little bow, which Techno doubted would ever happen, his feelings would have to wait.


	2. Sandy Beaches and Burnt Houses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno finds another one of Dream's bases and indulges himself. Later, Dream is at Techno's home seeking assistance. Neither of them are stable and it shows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've updated the rating to Explicit cuz from here on out things get, well, explicit. Proceed at your own discretion.
> 
> Also, you all are so nice in the comments, I love y'all, bro. Enjoy more of these terribly unstable two with some child, oblivious ghost, and old man appearances.
> 
> Chapter-specific tags: Explicit content (I'll have ~~~ before and after the scene), sexual repression, self-deprecation, more literal sleeping together, and of course more simping

The oceans were calm this sunny morning, the smell of sea salt filled Techno's nose as he rowed along in his two-person boat. There was a soft breeze, one that made his petal pink hair sway side to side. It was a nice change of pace from the turmoil at home; the frequent, bitterly cold snowstorms, Tommy's loud voice audible throughout the entire house, and, of course, the thousands of voices in his head. Said voices were quiet now, or at least ignorable. The serenity here as he traveled across the water calmed even them which Techno was immensely grateful for, especially since they'd been louder than usual after those days spent with Dream.

Some chastised him, for a variety of reasons, all of which stemmed from Dream: 'You shouldn't have gotten so vulnerable with him, you know he only cares for himself,' 'You forgot to go back to the mansion! He's definitely going to get all that loot now!', 'If Tommy ever finds out you were being all buddy-buddy with his arch enemy, you'll lose _another_ friend.'

Others whined desperately for him to return to Dream, to go back to that feeling of safety and warmth: 'Dream's so fun! Way more fun than you,' 'He's your only real ally! Why would you leave him!?', 'Don't you miss those pretty green eyes? That fluffy blond hair? Maybe he'll let you kiss him if you ask nicely.'

These contrasting thoughts of hating and loving Dream caused Techno splitting headaches, almost migraine levels of pain, over the past week he's been home and even Phil's best teas haven't been able to soothe the pounding against his skull. Phil had suggested using potions of regeneration once, but there was no way he was going to waste precious materials because some idiots in his brain couldn't learn to shut up.

Which, again, was why he was so glad he had decided to go treasure hunting today.

He figured it'd be a nice way to just get out of the house and set his mind on easy, meaningless tasks. He was already one of the richest, if not _the richest_ , on the server but a little more never hurt anybody--certainly not him. Having already stocked up on extra netherite some time ago and not needing any particular type of valuable, treasure hunting was an obvious choice for getting rich in a multitude of unspecified ways. Not to mention he absolutely _had_ to improve his map-reading skills because while it did mean he ran into Dream that day and spent some very quality time with him which was always welcome it was also just incredibly unbecoming his incompetence at the time.

So, he sailed the big blue ocean until he landed on the island where the map displayed a prominent red 'X'. The pinkette exited the boat and started to traverse the almost white sand of the beach he arrived at. He wanted to make this a quick dig; shovel the treasure up and get back in the boat as soon as possible since no matter how hard he tried to prevent it he _always_ got sand stuck in his boots. The heels were a little awkward to walk in on the uneven terrain, but if Techno could manage snow everyday for months at that point then he wasn't too worried about maintaining his footing here.

Techno soon located what he estimated to be where the treasure should be and switched to his shovel from his hotbar to begin the arduous, tedious process of digging for the chest. He soon stopped though, finding that he was already overheating with a giant robe on in this tropical climate so he slid it off his shoulders and folded it up before stowing it away in his inventory bag. As he was putting the bag back in its proper place on his shoulder, he caught sight of a rather sizable sandcastle-looking structure farther down the coastline. He furrowed his brows; this was the second strange, vaguely house-shaped building he'd come across in the last two weeks, and the previous one belonged to Dream. Was this another one of his many bases? Luckily, Techno had a surefire way of finding out.

He produced the list for all of Dream's bases from his pocket and glanced over it while he approached the sandstone house, looking for one that said anything about a 'beach' or 'sand.' About halfway down the paper, he found it. Dubbed 'beach base' was a set of coordinates that lined up to nearly the exact spot that Techno's communicator said he was standing on. This house was much smaller than the dark oak one as if it were primarily for functionality, not comfort or vacationing which Techno felt should've been the opposite. He supposed Dream just preferred the more closed-in space of a forest to the openness of the beach which, when he took Dream's penchant for challenging parkour and running into account, made the arrangement more understandable.

If Techno was right about this base being more practical, he wouldn't put it past Dream to install some trap or other to keep out trespassers looking to scavenge some easy supplies. Even if this seemed like a totally innocent beach house and was more than likely hastily built for temporary shelter, one could never be too careful when it came to Dream. Those days of domesticity where Dream appeared unable to hurt even the little foliage around him didn't mean he couldn't be a mad genius when the situation called for it. So, Techno investigated the perimeter of the house for any signs of traps; tripwire hooks, stray redstone dust, anything of that nature. When Techno found none, he rounded back to the front door, checked the space in front of it for a pressure plate, and knocked. His eyes widened when the door opened a little after the first hit of his knuckles against its wood. The voices did not trust that and, frankly, neither did he.

Cautiously, Techno pushed the door open more and peered inside, "Hello? Anyone home?" The pinkette scanned the interior, revealing his assumption was correct. A singular room with a lime green bed pushed against the right wall, a double chest near it, and a crafting table with accompanying furnace to the left. At the knowledge that the place was completely empty, Techno let out a slight sigh of relief and the crescendoing frenzy of anxious warnings from the voices thankfully dropped off.

It was a bit of a mess, the bed wasn't made, some clothes littered the floor, and the furnace had some still reddened coals in it indicating Dream was here very recently and--for whatever reason--left in a hurry. Techno knowing that he was now occupying the same space Dream had only a little while ago was enough to bring a flurry of butterflies to his stomach. He pointedly ignored the voices that mocked him for how just the aftermath of Dream's presence was able to affect him in such a way.

Seeing as Dream had said Techno could use these bases to take refuge and the door was basically left open, he didn't feel too bad about walking deeper inside. His heels clicking against the sandstone floor filled him with a sense of satisfying superiority even though there was no one around to feel superior over.

The first thing he did was crouch by the double chest and open it up to find out its contents. He didn't plan on taking anything, he was simply curious.

For being a larger chest, it was surprisingly bare. A few stalks of sugar cane, jars of colored sand, a diary, some bread loaves, a bundle of birch logs-wait.

Without a second thought, Techno grabbed up the dark green book and ran his thumb over the gold detailing of its title and author's name, "My Diary, by Dream." As tempted as he was to rip open that cover and find out every little secret of the _admin of the server,_ the rational side of him knew it would be a huge invasion of privacy of someone he was trying to gain the trust of. But the voices were very convincing in their argument that Dream probably wouldn't be back for a while and the prospect of knowing everything Dream's felt and thought and did since possibly the beginning of the server easily overrode that rational side. Before he knew it, he was sitting down in a more comfortable position against the chest and reading the first entry:

_Entry 1_

_New server, new me! At least I hope..._

_I think a diary will be good for me, get my thoughts out so they're not all cooped up in my head and possibly slow my descent into madness because of this thing inside me._

_It's been silent ever since I left that taiga village days ago, but I'm sure It'll start talking again once It notices there's no people around. And that's okay! I'll gladly live out the rest of my days suffering alone if it means It won't be able to hurt another innocent person._

_Maybe I can be happy here though, at least for a little while until It demands destruction once more. I can make my own little house with a little farm, maybe bring some animals over, that would be nice. Yeah, I'll do that!_

_Hopefully it lasts longer than a week at the very least..._

Having expected a start more or less like that, Techno turned the page to the next entry without much dawdling:

_Entry 2_

_Two weeks have passed since I started living here and I've decided to call this place the Dream SMP. I know, I know, a little narcissistic of me but it's not like anyone else is going to live here so who cares._

_It's been really quiet the entire time, I guess those villagers It killed satisfied It more than I thought they would. The peace has been really nice but I know it's only temporary..._

_On a lighter note, I have lots of stuff going for me! I made a little place in the middle of the woods and put a wheat farm and an animal pen around it, and I'm working on planting some carrots and potatoes soon. I think this is the happiest I've felt in a long time._

Techno smiled fondly, that was the Dream he knew. Always trying to look on the brighter side of things. He turned the page again:

_Entry 3_

_It's gone. It's all gone._

_I was just tending to the animals when It demanded I slaughter them all. I tried to reason with It, tried to tell It I needed at least a few of them alive to keep the farm going but It wouldn't listen. It was so loud. So, so loud. It screamed at me until I killed every last pig, sheep, and cow in the pens. I didn't want to. I really didn't want to. I think I'll hear their cries in my nightmares for weeks to come._

_It didn't stop there. It made me trample all the farms, every crop I tended to so carefully I stomped and destroyed. I couldn't stop crying. I don't even know how I got TNT but suddenly I was lighting it and the land was nothing but craters. I'm pretty sure I blacked out because I don't remember setting my cabin on fire but it was burning when I came to. The whole forest was. I had to run away, the smoke was so thick. I've had a terrible cough ever since._

_I'm so scared. Someone please help. I can't take this anymore. Someone, anyone..._

The entry got harder and harder to read the further down the page Techno got, handwriting so shaky and uncoordinated he could easily tell Dream was sobbing as he wrote. His sad frown opened in disbelief as he softly gasped at the contents of the next pages. At least six full pages of frantic scribblings, he could barely make out the words but a few were too prominent not to recognize: "HELP ME," "KILL," "SO LOUD," "CHAOS," "LEAVE ME ALONE," "DIE."

Techno had to physically close the book as tears started to well up in his eyes. Again, he questioned Dream's current status on the server. A villain? This man? This broken, lonely man who just wanted peace of mind but instead was plagued by a ruthless entity in his head that forced him to commit horrible atrocities? The pinkette shook his head, this was all the more reason he wanted to help Dream. If anyone could empathize with his predicament it was Techno. Ever since he was a piglet in the Nether, Techno heard the voices demanding blood. But he had Phil and Wilbur (Ghostbur now) and then Tommy to keep him from doing too much damage to himself or others. Dream had nobody, and he arguably needed somebody more. Techno was determined to be that somebody.

He opened the book again to a random page still towards the beginning, the names of George and Sapnap catching his eye:

_Entry 8_

_I met some people today while I was gathering resources in the woods. They seem really nice, funny too. I like them. Their names are George and Sapnap and they're looking for a place to settle down. I told them they could stay here and we could make a place together. I probably shouldn't have but it's been so long since I found other people I could have real conversations with._

_I'll protect them, I will. I won't let It hurt them._

_Entry 9_

_We started making a place. It's a pretty big brick house we built in the middle of a lake with plots of land branching off it for farms and animal pens. Sapnap and George argued a lot during the process, they remind me of siblings in that regard. They're like the brothers I never had..._

_They wanted to go to the Nether too, at least George did. Sapnap said it "wouldn't be anything new" to him so he didn't mind staying back to watch over the house. His wording was a little weird, makes me wonder how familiar he really is with the Nether. I don't want to ask though in case it's something really personal for him, I don't want to make either of them mad. I don't know what I'd do if they started to hate me..._

"I think I have an idea..." Techno thought out loud. Dream's fear had unfortunately become a reality, from Techno's perspective anyway. Out of everything the server's been through, the Dream Team seemed like the most unbreakable group, powering through every hardship they went through. That is until Dream took the kingship of the Greater Dream SMP from George and gave it back to Eret. It seemed like the last straw for the trio because ever since then, Sapnap and George won't even look at him.

Techno could only imagine how that must've hurt Dream, having his best friends that he cared so deeply for--and _still_ cares for--turn their backs on him. He wasn't entirely sure why Dream returned the role to Eret but he knew the admin must've had good intentions, he wouldn't just dethrone one of his closest friends for no reason.

The next sum of pages consisted of a retelling of all the wars and conflicts on the server in Dream's words, even the ones he wasn't actually present for. Techno gleaned from skimming over it all that Dream did have good intentions, everything he did was to protect the people he cared about. He tried to keep them out of things as best he could, but the addition of Quackity made that a lot more difficult as more and more Sapnap and George opted to follow him in all his crazy schemes. Throughout it, however, Dream didn't seem to harbor any ill feelings towards his friends or Quackity. He was only worried, never angry, or upset, or anything like that. It seemed Dream was not only expressive but also family-oriented to a fault, wanting nothing more than to have a 'big, happy family' on the server free of negativity of any kind. Techno couldn't blame him for that though, the only family Dream ever had was the one he lived with in that village so very long ago, of course he'd fight tooth and nail to keep the one he has now together and smiling.

If he was really honest, Techno paid much less attention to the earlier pages than he did the later ones--the ones after he had joined the fray. He was eager to know Dream's feelings about him. Of course, he hoped for at least a hint that his feelings for the admin were mutual, but knew realistically the odds were low. The first entry that had his name went like this:

_Entry 46_

_A LOT happened today... First, Schlatt, Quackity, and George won the election of L'Manberg, well, Manberg now. Then Tommy and Wilbur were exiled from their own country, a country they built up and fought for with their own hands. I can't help but feel bad for them, especially Wilbur..._

_And finally, the server gained a new member: Technoblade. I know him, we've gone against each other, and worked together, in a couple tournaments and we had a big duel not too long ago. We're not that close, doesn't stop It from liking him though. It says he seems like a wonderful addition to the server, but I'll hold my judgements until I get to know him better. At least he's on Tommy and Wilbur's side._

Not much, but it was nice to know the Dreamon liked him, he supposed. He quickly flipped to the next page:

_Entry 47_

_I met with Technoblade today. He's kinda funny, asked if what I was gonna give him was 'clout.' It wasn't, of course. I wanted to give him a warm welcome, being a new member and all, and he was quite pleasant during the whole meeting. I was a little wary before, I know how strong he is and I didn't ever want to be in a position where I would have to stop him from causing too much chaos, but he seems like a nice guy. I still don't like how It is excited for future interactions with him..._

_But Techno seems more level-headed than I previously gave him credit for, so maybe I'm just catastrophizing again._

Techno cringed, again Dream's fear came true. He _had_ caused chaos. Alot of it. Multiple times. Killed many people, aided in blowing up L'Manberg, even now he was plotting some 'minor terrorism' against L'Manberg with Tommy. Dream wasn't there for the festival that he turned into a massacre--Techno could only imagine how he felt about that--and he acted as if he was pleased, delighted even, with Techno's actions during the Manberg-Pogtopia War. But, maybe that was the Dreamon? This entire diary seemed very much like it was solely Dream's thoughts, not the Dreamon's, and if Dream was against chaos then it must've been the Dreamon that day that cheered for the L'Manberg crater and assisted in making it bigger.

Just how much of the Dream he knew was actually the Dreamon taking over and using his body to incite and perpetuate violence? Who did Techno love, Dream or the Dreamon? He dreaded the answer...

But a little thinking on it told him everything he needed to know. Sure, he liked when Dream was more violent and aggressive, found it quite hot even, but he _loved_ when Dream smiled that warm, beautiful smile and laughed his loud, genuine wheezing laugh. He'd kill to keep such joy on Dream's face, and die before he let anything snuff out the brightness that man radiated. So, he decided, it was Dream. It was Dream he loved. It was Dream he cared so much for. It was Dream, it's always been Dream, and it always will be _Dream_.

After that, Techno was far more interested in the entries he was mentioned in. He learned how Dream gradually warmed up to him and more and more wanted to spend extra time with him. He even said on one page how he wanted to give him a hug; Techno, and the voices, cooed at that one. Finally, the hybrid came to the latest entry:

_Entry 65_

_I couldn't write for a while, got jumped by a bunch of dumb vindicators. Made me go into my blob form for almost three days. Bleeding out is probably the worst way to be forced into that state. I can feel myself getting cold as the blood leaves my body, all my systems slowly shut down until I finally transform._

_It wasn't too bad this time though, I had Techno to keep me company. He just kinda showed up at my doorstep and took care of me after I transformed, and he was really nice the entire time. It felt... weird? I'm not used to Techno being so kind, or anyone for that matter, it made me feel all fuzzy inside... Is that just what happens when people are nice to you? Has it really been so long since someone's shown me kindness that I've forgotten how it feels..?_

_I want to repay him, I offered him a favor in return but he said I "didn't owe him anything." But... Isn't that how that works? When someone does something for you then you have to do something for them, right? Kindness isn't free, nothing in this world is. But if Techno wanted something, he would've said so. Maybe he did it just out of the goodness of his heart... But why? We're just allies, barely friends. I'm the last person anyone wants to be friends with. Though, I can't help but think with how kind and supportive he was that he really does care._

_Do I dare let myself get attached again...?_

Well, if Techno's heartstrings weren't completely tugged out of place by now then he was sure they were close. He wished the admin were here now so he could say how much he meant to him, how there wasn't a day that went by where he wasn't thinking about pretty green eyes and a halo of golden hair. Techno had never felt so strongly for one person in his life, he didn't even know he was capable of feeling such passion and adoration but here he was wishing he could hold Dream close in his arms and reassure him he was loved and cared about and that it was okay to love and care for others in return.

**~~~~~**

Carefully, Techno placed the diary back into the chest, making sure it was in exactly the same spot it was when he found it. He closed the chest and stood, his eyes giving the place another look over. They soon landed on Dream's hoodie lying halfway on the bed where it nearly blended in with the blanket's color. Out of sheer curiosity, the pinkette took the article of clothing up by its hood to examine it more closely. It was a bigger size than the ones Techno had seen Dream don before, most likely serving as nightwear. If that was the case, if Techno really was holding the hoodie Dream slept in all night, then surely it would...

The hybrid brought the bright green sweatshirt to his face and breathed in deeply, his eyes fluttered closed as Dream's scent quickly overwhelmed his senses. He held the breath for a long moment, letting it embed in his lungs and nostrils until he absolutely had to release it and take another so he didn't suffocate to death. Although he had to admit, that wouldn't be the worst way to go. His final breath full of everything Dream, every sweet memory he'd ever had of the admin flashing before his eyes as the world went black around him... Yeah, that didn't sound too bad at all. 

Techno sighed in disappointment at his complete lack of self-control. His vision was already hazy as a lustful cloud formed in his brain. But he couldn't blame it all on himself, Dream was at least partly guilty for being so utterly _irresistible._

He threw one final cautious glance to the room, searching for any prying eyes that might've appeared in the time since he last looked. When he found no evidence of such, he kicked off his boots, crawled onto the bed, and flopped down on his back. Again he smelled the hoodie, around the neck hole area where Dream's scent was the strongest. The breath he let out this time was shaky as he shuddered. Heat was pooling in his gut embarrassingly quickly, his grip on the clothing tightened. He truly couldn't help himself when it came to Dream. 

Slowly, his hand trailed down his body and stopped at the rising tent in his pants. He cupped himself, biting his lip as he suddenly felt mortified. At any second Dream could walk through that door and see him laid out like this, hand between his legs and his hoodie pressed to Techno's nose. And yet, that somehow made the hybrid harder.

A part of him _wanted_ Dream to witness his yearning for him. He'd probably tease Techno endlessly, hurl insult after playful insult at the pinkette's pitiful display. Maybe he'd be into it, tell Techno to 'put on a show,' and _oh_ how he would. He'd spread his legs wide for Dream, show him _exactly_ what kind of mess the admin could turn him to. He only hoped Dream would be receptive. Perhaps he'd praise Techno, tell him he looked positively _delicious_ with those flushed cheeks and eager eyes.

And if he wasn't? If he scrunched up his face and called him a _needy whore_ for his pathetic showing? Techno arguably wanted that more. He blamed his piglin instincts for that, for wanting to be verbally humiliated while Dream roughly entered him and cared only for his own pleasure as he pounded mercilessly into Techno's quivering body.

_Fuck,_ now he was _really_ hard.

He shoved the front of his pants down, having to stifle a moan at the feeling of them rubbing against his sensitive flesh. His erection sprang out, reddened at the tip and tilted down towards his stomach. He moved the hoodie away for just a second to spit in his hand before wrapping his fingers around himself and starting to stroke slowly. With the smell of Dream surrounding his head and the softness of his hoodie hugging his skin, Techno's mind easily turned his situation into the fantasy of Dream jerking him off as he held him so tenderly. In his imagination, his Dream whispered sweet nothings in his ear and pressed gentle kisses to his neck. He told Techno he was being _such a good boy_ and that he should _moan real loud_ to let him know how much he enjoyed his Dream's touch. There was no way Techno could refuse his Dream's request, even if he wanted to which he didn't. He wanted only to please the admin. What his Dream wanted his Dream got as far as he was concerned, no matter what it was.

Techno gasped and whimpered when he squeezed himself, his Dream liked that. _Louder,_ he said. And Techno was. He pumped his hand faster until he was letting out wanton moans and squirming on the bed. Fueled by his secret desires and his Dream's compliments, the hybrid purposely gripped his hard-on tighter to push himself closer to that edge that felt unfamiliar to him now due to him always suppressing these kinds of urges. He knew that wasn't good, especially since more often than not it resulted in him doing shameful things like masturbating on the bed of the man he'd been borderline obsessing over for _who knows_ how long. Hopefully, if he did ever find himself in a position where Dream would join him in finding sexual relief, he wouldn't get so backed up anymore.

A coil began to curl and tighten in the pit of Techno's stomach, warning him he wasn't too far from that highly sought after edge. His heels dug into the sheets, he had brought his legs up to more easily buck his hips into his hand as he bit into the fabric of the hoodie he was still inhaling. Tears pricked at the corners of Techno's eyes, blurring his vision. The warmth was almost unbearable now, his whole body felt like it was on fire. He was usually quite used to extreme heat, hailing from the Nether and all, but--like with most things--Dream changed that. He intensified everything, it was never simple with a man like Dream. 

Techno tensed suddenly, a grunt escaping past his clenched teeth as he gave his length one last squeeze before short bursts of white fluid spurted all over the pinkette's nice blouse. He gasped and panted, his eyes having rolled into the back of his head with drool slipping down his chin and catching on the hoodie he was clutching for dear life at this point. Time seemed to slow down now, allowing his shaking form to calm itself with a blissful afterglow. The need to have Dream by his side had never felt higher. 

**~~~~~**

He blinked slowly, eyelids drooping heavily. Post-orgasm exhaustion didn't surprise him, these escapades often wore him out even if they lasted hardly any time at all. He chalked it up, again, to his repression of such activities. It would be his own fault if he woke up to an angry Dream questioning him and demanding he stay out of his bases from now on, but that sounded like something for his awake, rational self to worry about. 

* * *

Techno's eyes opened to thin slits. His pupils struggled to adjust to the light pouring in from the windows, resulting in the pinkette blinking fast and long to ease into a more focused eyesight.

A disgruntled hum left his throat as his senses gradually returned to him. The first thing he noticed was the cold wetness seeping through his bellamy shirt and coating his stomach. He grimaced and moved whatever was restricting his face to breathe easier. After a beat of staring confused at the clothing in his hand, all the memories began to flood in. His eyes widened in horror.

He was still here, in Dream's bed, at his beach house base, with his hoodie he had been _smelling_ still in his grip and his own... _fluids_ staining his shirt. A wave of nausea made Techno have to swallow down the bile that bubbled at the back of his throat out of sheer disgust directed at himself. Still sluggish with sleep, he pushed himself to sit up in order to rip his top off his body. He used the dry part of the clothing to wipe off the remnants of his degeneracy and threw it weakly in the direction of his inventory bag. His shoulders went slack as he momentarily wallowed in despair.

The desire to remove himself from this situation overshadowed his mood, however, so he fixed the state of his pants to properly cover himself again and stood from the lime bed. It was definitely more messed up than it was before Techno got there, but he doubted Dream would pay much attention to that.

As he was pulling his boots back on, he realized he had absolutely nothing covering his upper body. He could just go out and pray no one noticed that he didn't have a shirt on under his red robe, but even the slim possibility that someone might see was enough to make him quickly shoot down that plan. Then, his gaze wandered to the hoodie.

Techno didn't even have the time to weigh the consequences before he was putting the sweatshirt on and hugging himself. Dream's scent once again pleased Techno's olfactory system and instantly eliminated all of his self-deprecating thoughts. The admin's ability to soothe him even when he wasn't physically there still amazed and enamored Techno.

He'd deal with the repercussions of his impulsivity later. For now, Techno happily walked to his inventory bag, swiping up his soiled shirt to stuff inside in the process, and exited the sandstone home. He closed the door completely as he left and made his way back to where his boat was still faithfully beached. Only then did the pinkette see the array of colors that made up the sky. Navy blue faded into violet, then soft magenta, and finally a bright, fiery orange as Techno's eyes trailed from the east to the west. A beautiful calmness washed over his very soul while he watched the sunset, the sounds of the waves gently moving over the sand only added to the tranquility. Techno felt like every worry and every regret he ever had in his entire life was being sloughed off and thrown into the ocean before him where they couldn't plague his mind any longer.

And as he pushed his boat back into the water and set off for home, he wondered to himself quietly. _Why would the world be so peaceful and gorgeous after what he did if his actions were so dirty and wrong?_

Maybe, just maybe, he could start to live with himself and his repressed desires. _After all, just like this sunset, they were natural_ , he justified to no one.

* * *

The wind howled as it blew hard outside, the snowstorm unforgiving in its raging mission to cover layer upon layer of snow on every surface it could reach.

Techno was glad he managed to make it back home before he could be caught and possibly get lost in the blizzard. When he had gotten home, he found that Phil had already tucked Tommy into bed and was going to retire himself once he knew Techno was safe--he thankfully didn't mention, or didn't notice, Techno's wearing of Dream's hoodie. So, with both of them soundly asleep and Ghostbur assumedly with Tommy in his room, Techno sat in his chair by the fire holding a cup of warm tea in his hands and dressed in an appropriately cozy outfit for relaxing. As much as he loved wearing Dream's scent, he was far too paranoid of Tommy or Phil waking up or Ghostbur coming down and catching him in it so he had changed out of it and stashed it away in his room.

Even with a furious snowstorm that threatened frostbite just by opening the window a little all around his cabin, Techno found himself quite at peace. The voices had been a pain during the journey back, reprimanding him for forgetting the loot _again_ , but he couldn't find it in him to care. At least they were quieter now, allowing himself a rare moment of blessed silence in his own home.

A silence that was abruptly broken by a knock on his door.

Techno's brows furrowed as he glanced back to the double doors confused, _who could be at his door in that storm at this time of night?_

Keeping up an alert guardedness, Techno rose from his chair and approached the door, much to the objection of the voices. He set his tea down on one of his chests and prepared himself for the coming onslaught of raw artic cold. The immediate rush of wind into his home once he opened the door made him shut his eyes, and when he finally opened them again he strangely found that no one was at his doorstep. His confusion deepened as did the concern of the voices until a familiar noise sounded from below. He gasped, there at his feet laid a pile of shaking clothes. That was all Techno needed to see to realize the situation.

He quickly gathered the clothes, and their tiny inhabitant, in his arms and slammed the door shut. "What in the world were ya doin' out in that cold, little guy?" Techno grabbed his red robe from its hook before moving to kneel by the crackling fire. The only response he got was a weak whimper that effectively shattered his heart and caused the voices to again dissolve into a cacophony of protective chants. Hurriedly, Techno peeled away the layers of clothes, revealing a shivering white blob that wore the saddest smile Techno had ever seen in his life. "Oh, you poor thing..." The pinkette wrapped the blob up in his velvet soft cape and hugged its swaddled form close to his chest, all next to the fire to give the blob as much warmth as possible.

Broken squeaks left the bundle which Techno gently shushed, bringing a hand up to pet the blob's icy cold head. The blob nuzzled into his touch without hesitation, soft purrs emitting from it at the attention; Techno couldn't tell whether the vibrations it gave off were from the happiness of being taken care of or from the chill.

Once again, Techno was left with more unanswerable questions as the blob obviously couldn't give more than yes or no responses and he hardly wanted to bombard it when it was still trembling violently. So, he settled on the floor more comfortably and yielded to the task of tending to the little blob until it wasn't freezing or, even better, until it was back to being Dream who he could actually figure out this predicament with.

Hours passed of Techno just sitting there stroking the blob's head. Even after its shaking had stopped, Techno stayed there to make sure it was actually warmed up. It was resting now, the occasional purr coming from it. He finally figured it wouldn't be the best idea to stay in the living room all night and sleep on the floor, so he very carefully stood and ascended the stairs where the bedrooms were. Ever since Phil and Tommy started staying with him, renovations had to be made so they didn't live like raccoons in his basement--he didn't really care about Tommy being a basement raccoon, but there was no way in hell he was going to let Phil live like that. Then there was Ghostbur but since ghosts didn't need to sleep, a room wasn't made for him.

Sectioning off the upstairs did mean that his own bedroom was a little smaller than before, but Techno didn't mind too much. All he kept in there was his bed, an enchanting setup--which was easily moved to the basement, the 'Chat bell'--a bell he'd ring when the voices were actually nice to him (don't ask why, he doesn't know either), and his treasure barrel anyways. Nothing fancy.

He opened the door to his room and closed it behind himself as soundlessly as he could, then set the blob still bundled in his red robe on his pillow and laid next to it. Fleeting thoughts went through his brain. How long will Dream be a blob this time? That guide had said his longest was four days. Techno wasn't sure what the circumstances of that time were, but he did know it took about three days for him to recover from nearly bleeding out. How long would it take for him to recover from almost freezing to death? Was it just hypothermia threatening Dream's life or were there other injuries he couldn't see as Dream was already in blob form when he got to him?

There was no use in questioning things at this point, it was the waiting game for Techno until Dream recovered. At the very least, he knew Dream would be safe. He'd make damn sure of that. And that helped him greatly in shutting off his mind and falling asleep.

* * *

Morning brought warmth. A warm sun, warm bedsheets, a warm body next to his-

Techno snapped open his eyes. Dirty blond hair just barely grazed his chin, calloused hands fisted his button up shirt, and soft snores filled his ears. He really had to stop waking up like this, it was not good for his mental health.

At least Dream was covered by his robe. If he had been completely naked, all of Techno's self-discipline he'd cultivated over the years would've meant nothing.

However, that panicked urgency to get away from Dream's tempting form before Techno did something he'd forever regret wasn't there like it was last time. No, the desire this time was to pull Dream closer. He wasn't sure, at first, what changed between waking up with Dream in his arms at the dark oak base and now, but then he remembered what he did at the beach base not even a full 24 hours ago. He felt comfortable with himself, with his urges, and he was perfectly content to draw Dream against himself and indulge in feeling his body heat pressed to his chest-

Or he would've if an obnoxious knocking at his bedroom door didn't startle him out of his thoughts.

"Technooooo!" Tommy's _way too loud_ voice sounded from outside his room--how did he even have the energy to yell at this time in the morning? "Wake up, big man! C'mooon!" He heard another voice scolding Tommy and telling him exactly what Techno and the voices were silently complaining about, he guessed that was Phil.

Dream would definitely wake up if he were to yell back, so he carefully got out of bed and opened the door just a crack to see two blonds and the translucent form of Ghostbur out in the hallway, "Do you all have any idea what time it is? What could possibly be so important ya have to wake me up so damn early?"

Phil opened his mouth to explain with an apologetic expression, but the younger blond beat him to it, "Well, ya see, Blade, I-uh. I'm really bored."

Techno went straight-faced before he responded, "Are you serious?"

"Very."

"You wake me up at essentially _dawn_ because you're _bored_?" Techno narrowed his eyes at Tommy in annoyance.

"Yes. I figured, who better to know how to fill up the day than The Blade himself?" Tommy exclaimed, looking very proud of himself for coming up with the idea to wake Techno for solutions to his personal problem.

Techno's ear flicked at the sound of light shuffling behind him. He glanced back and saw Dream readjusting himself on the bed, likely searching for the warmth Techno took away when he got up from the bed. The pinkette stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind him to muffle Tommy's voice at least a little so he wouldn't wake the admin before he had a chance to think up how to get these three out of the house. The last thing he needed was any of them questioning him on why _Dream_ , of all people, was in his bed _naked._

"So. You want advice on what to do today." Tommy enthusiastically agreed with a nod. Techno thought about it for a moment. What would be time-consuming enough that it got them out of his hair for a couple hours until he sorted things out with Dream, but was for a believable enough purpose that none of them got suspicious? "Ya know what? I have the perfect thing for you _and_ Phil to do, some bondin' time would do ya both some good." He wasn't wrong. Though Tommy and Phil weren't the worst of friends, they also weren't the best. Not that they needed to be, Techno just preferred to have allies that wouldn't turn on each other the second the going got tough or the mutual goal was achieved. He knew all too well of that.

When the two didn't immediately object to his vague suggestion, Techno continued, "I think it's gettin' close to time for some 'minor terrorism' in L'Manberg. Before that though, we'll need more supplies."

"More supplies? You already have chests full of stuff! What more could we possibly need?" Tommy protested as he exaggerated his words with his hands.

" _A lot_ more if you keep chuggin' gapples and invis pots like ya do." Techno shot back with narrowed crimson eyes.

Tommy relented at that, though not without an indignant cross of his arms, "Fine. What do you want us to do then?"

"You two will go to the Nether and collect blaze rods, gold, and ghast tears. I'll stay in the Overworld and get everything else we'll need." Techno explained.

"W-wait, the Nether? C-can't you do that? I mean, you're part piglin, ain't you? I feel like that job would be better suited for you, ya know?" The younger blond suddenly seemed uncharacteristically nervous.

Techno rose a questioning brow, "What's got ya so worked up? It's just the Nether, Tommy, you've been there many times before. What, are you scared or somethin'?"

"No!" He immediately replied, "I'm a big man, I'm not afraid of anything! It's just, I'm on my last life and that place is full of lava and..." Tommy trailed off. The floor looked quite interesting to him at that moment.

"And? If you fall, I'm sure Phil will catch ya or help ya out if he needs to. Plus there's plenty of fire res in the chests downstairs. I'll be amazed if you actually manage to die."

Tommy sighed, "Fine. We'll cover the stupid Nether while you get the easy part."

"Hey, there is nothin' easy about killin' creepers before they explode and waitin' for nether wart to grow."

"Should we get going now?" Phil piped up.

Techno nodded, "The sooner, the better. That way we have all day to stock up. The more ya get now means the less we'll have to do trips like this."

"How much should we get?"

"As much as your inventory can hold."

"Fair enough," Phil shrugged and put a hand to Tommy's shoulder, "Let's get going, mate. I'll whip us up a quick breakfast and we'll set off, sound good?"

Tommy nodded with a much brighter expression at the mention of food and went with Phil down the stairs.

"What about me?" Ghostbur finally spoke, and Techno glanced over to see the spirit waiting patiently for instructions of his own. _Right, almost forgot about him._

"Oh, um, you and Friend can go find me more dogs for the army. How about that?"

Ghostbur saluted, "Right away!" And then he was off, phasing through the walls of the house to the outside where Techno presumed Friend was waiting for him.

Techno let out a sigh of relief and swiftly, and quietly, checked on Dream to see he was still peacefully snoring away before joining the other two in his kitchen. Along with the upstairs renovations, modifications were made to the downstairs to separate the living room and kitchen. Chairs and a couch were added to the living room and a table with chairs was brought into the kitchen, giving the place a much more homey feel.

Like Phil said, the breakfast was quick. Fried eggs and bacon--which Techno strangely didn't object to, and they were on their way. The pinkette watched their figures until they disappeared behind snowy hills and promptly made his way back upstairs to his room. Inside, he found Dream coincidentally just then waking up.

"Good mornin', sleepy head." Techno placed his hands on his hips and let a playful smile curl his lips.

Tired emeralds met a fond ruby gaze. He gave a light hum as he sat up in the bed, "Mornin'." There was that deep, silky smooth morning voice Techno adored to no end.

The admin didn't seem like he was going to say anything else so Techno figured it was as good a time as any to ask, "Ya wanna tell me why I found your blob form on my doorstep durin' a snowstorm in the middle of the night?"

Dream winced, "Yeah, about that... You see, one of my bases got burned down..."

Techno instantly dropped the lighthearted attitude, "What? Why? Who would do somethin' like that?"

"I-I... I think it was me..." Dream curled in on himself as his form began to shake. His dirty blond hair hid his face from view while Techno's robe still covered the rest of him.

"What?" The hybrid asked again, disbelief on his face, "But why would you-"

"I blacked out. One minute I was just cooking dinner and the next I was outside with flint and steel in my hands... Techno, I haven't blacked out in _months_. I thought... I thought I was getting a handle on it. I-I thought..." Sobs now overtook Dream's words and body, rendering him only able to hold himself and rock back and forth.

Techno felt a little uncomfortable now, standing by the door while Dream was more or less having a mental breakdown. Phil was much better suited to dealing with things like this, maybe he should call for the older man to come back-

No. How was he ever going to gain Dream's trust and show him he cares if he chickened out when Dream was in a desperate time of need? He braced himself--for what, he wasn't sure--and approached the bed. He sat at the edge and slowly wrapped his arms around Dream's shoulders. The other male tensed up.

It took a moment but eventually Dream let all his walls crumble like a dam collapsing under all the weight it held back. Tears rushed down his face and broken cries left his throat as he seemingly tried to hide himself from the world in Techno's arms. His entire body trembled against Techno's, and the pinkette felt so useless being only able to hold Dream while he wept uncontrollably. The voices were no help either, they just yelled at him to do something, _anything_ to improve Dream's mood.

And he wished he knew what to do, wished he had any knowledge of something that would cheer the blond up or at least cease his waterworks. But he didn't, he could just sit and exist as a shoulder for Dream to cry on. That didn't stop him from being the best damn shoulder he could be though. He hugged Dream closer and mentally congratulated himself when the other responded with nuzzling his face further into the crook of Techno's neck. Dream was practically on his lap at that point, but Techno wasn't complaining whatsoever and Dream seemed perfectly fine with the position so they stayed like that until loud wailing became soft sniffling occasionally interrupted by a hiccup.

"I'm sorry," Dream croaked after a while of silence, "I know I'm probably causing you a headache so I'll leave soon, it's just... Your place was the closest and I didn't know where else to go and I... I don't trust myself to be alone anymore..."

It was probably a dumb thing, maybe even the dumbest thing, to latch onto out of all Dream said but he couldn't help himself, "So... You trust me?"

Dream froze in the middle of his self-pitying before slowly pulling back to lock gazes with the piglin hybrid, "Well, yeah. You're like the only person who hasn't turned their back on me or tried to use me, Techno. The fact that you took me in last night when you didn't have to just proved to me that I can trust you." The confession left Techno stunned. His mouth opened to reply but his brain couldn't seem to formulate any coherent responses. The admin didn't appear to mind Techno's silence as he just snuggled back into the safety of the hybrid's warmth. Techno stopped trying to force words out and opted just to hold Dream as close as possible while he buried his face in his fluffy hair.

After some time, the two were lying back down on the bed, Dream cuddled up against Techno's chest while the pinkette played with his curly locks and soothingly stroked his back. Techno's robe had fallen to rest at Dream's hip by then, but Techno seemed too preoccupied with gently untangling frizzy filaments of dirty blond to care for the implications of that.

The voices certainly tried to goad him on, however, Techno truly felt no compulsion to act on any of what they suggested. Every time they encouraged his hand to slip further down Dream's spine, he was sliding it back up to keep a steady, lulling rhythm. Whenever they enticed him with declarations of how Dream's lips were _begging_ to be kissed, he kept his lips to the crown of the admin's head. The hybrid hoped they would stop and leave him be after a while since he wasn't doing what they wanted, but he knew that was just wishful thinking.

Just a little over an hour after he had woken up, Techno was already feeling drowsy again from the tranquil atmosphere. Perhaps that was what loosened his tongue enough to say, "I care about ya, Dream. You mean a lot to me. I don't want to see ya hurt or upset anymore. I want to protect you from that. I'd keep you here away from the rest of the world if I could just to make sure you're safe."

Techno worried for a moment Dream didn't like or didn't agree with what he said but that fear was calmed when he felt Dream burrow deeper into his chest and hike his leg up to Techno's thigh to bring their mess of limbs under the sheets nearer together. Silence descended upon the pair after that, and Techno was content to let it linger as long as it pleased. He was reminded of that first day at the dark oak base when he and Dream ate quietly at the table and just enjoyed each other's company. It felt right to be with Dream, natural, yet not at the same time. They were still rivals, weren't they? And didn't rivals hate each other? They certainly didn't cuddle, Techno knew that much. Clearly, they've gotten past that point. They're not just rivals anymore. So, what were they then?

The voices joked that they should be rivals with benefits.

That all was suddenly interrupted by Dream murmuring, "Nightmare doesn't like you anymore."

"I beg your pardon? Who's Nightmare?" The pinkette tilted his head to glance down at Dream as the admin looked up to meet his confused stare.

"Oh, did I not mention..? I named It, I call It Nightmare. Pretty ironic, huh?" A pained smile appeared on Dream's lips.

"Uh, yeah." Techno let out an awkward laugh, "Especially considerin' all your armor and weapons are called Nightmare too, right?"

"Mhm." Dream lowered his gaze from Techno's face. The look in his eyes grew distant as if, though physically here, his mind was many miles away. That was obviously a sensitive spot for the blond, Techno wondered why.

Now the silence was quite awkward.

"It's very loud right now. It really doesn't like you. It says you know too much." Dream said, his voice trembling.

"I... I'm sorry to hear that. I know what ya mean though, Chat can be insufferable sometimes too." Techno really was not good with this whole 'comforting someone else' business, but he could at least understand Dream's plight.

"Can you keep talking? Just say things to drown It out." The admin looked up to Techno again with glossy green irises. He was on the verge of tears.

"Say what?"

"Tell me a story."

"A story?"

"One of those old stories you know that you talk about sometimes. Like the one you told Tommy."

"You want one of those stories?"

Dream nodded with a small hum.

Techno thought for a moment, then said, "I'll tell you the story of Achilles and Patroclus. Two lovers torn apart by war and loss."

* * *

"And though he knew it would be his downfall, Achilles marched back into battle. He didn't care if he died anymore, he was dead the second he heard his beloved was killed. When an arrow pierced Achilles' heel, his only weak spot, he smiled, for he knew soon he'd join his Patroclus in the afterlife. He requested to have his ashes buried with Patroclus', ensuring the lovers would be together for the rest of eternity." Techno finished the story, though he knew Dream had fallen asleep a long time ago. He was elated because that meant Dream was comforted to the point of unconsciousness by just the sound of Techno's voice, exactly like how he was with Dream's voice.

The hybrid tilted his head down again to nuzzle into Dream's hair, "You don't ever have to worry, Dream. Should it come to it, I'll gladly be your Patroclus."

For Techno, the world fell still as if the words he spoke must be listened and heeded to by all. It was a promise, and Techno was a man of his word.

Right now though, he knew it'd be unwise to continue lounging like he was. He had to at least _seem_ like what he told Phil and Tommy earlier wasn't total bullshit, so he moved to get up from the bed. Before he could even really leave it, however, a gentle hand wrapped around his wrist. "Where are you going..?" Dream's sleepy tone made Techno turn to glance back at him. The admin had his eyes open to tiny slits. How long had he been awake? Did he hear everything Techno said?

"Out. I need to get some supplies." The hybrid answered simply.

"Can I come with you?" Techno perked up at the soft-spoken request. His heart melted at the sight of Dream's pleading gaze, he doubted he would ever be able to refuse such a look no matter how many times he was given it.

"Of course." The pinkette smiled kindly and was pleased to see Dream returned with an appreciative smile of his own.

Together, they left the bed and Techno went to one of his chests to find more fitting attire for going out into the many feet of snow dropped on his humble abode by last night's storm. Dream, however, was left to stand awkwardly in the middle of the room with just Techno's red robe covering him.

"Um, are my clothes around here?" He asked to Techno's back.

Techno glanced behind him and pointed to a different chest across the room, "Yeah, I brought 'em up here before I went to bed."

Dream padded over to the chest and crouched down to open it. All his stuff sat atop everything else in a neat, folded pile. When he picked it up, he saw one of his hoodies, or at least the bright green of one, trapped at the bottom. "Why's one of my hoodies here?"

The pinkette froze halfway through changing his shirt, "U-um, I..." He wracked his brain for some excuse, _any excuse_ that wasn't the embarrassing truth- "I ruined the shirt I had been wearin' and put that on 'til I got home. I was gonna return it, I swear, I just needed it for the time bein' is all..." Techno mentally slapped himself and cringed at the chiding of the voices; that basically _was_ the truth just without the part where he-

"Oh. You can keep it if you want. I was just wondering." Dream shrugged and stood up to dress himself.

"Really?" There was a hopeful lilt in Techno's voice as he turned to look at Dream only to promptly turn back around as he got an eyeful of the blond's freckled backside, an image that was already ingraining itself in his brain.

"Yeah, go ahead. I have plenty."

An excited smile curled Techno's lips but he quickly cleared his throat and tried to not let it appear in his speech, "Th-thank you."

Dream's reply was a simple hum and then quietude. Once they were both fully dressed, Techno in his Arctic Anarchist Commune outfit Phil made for the three of them and Dream in his usual intimidating getup of netherite armor and a dark green mantle which Techno noticed the scent of smoke on and a layer of soot along its bottom hem, they stepped into the bitter chill of the outside. At least it wasn't as windy as last night.

Dream still shivered immediately, despite his layers they were thin and not at all suited for the climate here. His breath came out white when he said, "I still don't understand how you can live out here, even inside it was a little cold..." The admin rubbed his gloved hands together, his exposed fingers being the focus of his hot exhaling as he attempted to warm them up after pushing his mask up a little.

Techno chuckled, earning puffs of icy vapor, "It's called 'dressin' for the weather,' Dream. If ya like I can go back inside and grab ya a proper coat."

The blond shook his head and waved off the offer, "I'll be fine-"

"Okay, no, I'm gettin' you a coat." Techno promptly turned on his heel and went back inside, leaving the door open as he grabbed a spare sky blue cloak heavy with fur and heat-insulating materials.

"T-Techno, you don't have to, really, I'm-"

The piglin hybrid closed the door behind himself before hushing the other man by wrapping the coat tightly around his form, "I don't wanna hear it, Dream, last time you said that nonsense you were bleedin' out in my arms. I'm not gonna let ya keep disregardin' your well-bein' like it's no big deal whether you're safe or not." Had Dream not moved his mask back into place by then, Techno would've seen a flustered redness spread across the admin's face.

"Th-thank you..." Dream muttered quietly as he shrank himself into the thick white fur lining the shoulders of the cloak.

Techno observed him with a sadness he struggled not to let show on his face, even with the mask Techno could guess he was embarrassed by the treatment. He didn't intend to come off as coddling and overprotective, though he absolutely was, and truthfully it was Dream's decision to wear another layer or not but Techno knew if he didn't take direct action Dream would continue downplaying his health. But Dream luckily didn't fight it, didn't seem too thrilled about it either, but still. Techno was glad he at least accepted help if he was unwilling to get it himself--until Techno thought about how he had found the blob shivering at his doorstep.

"Ya act like I didn't stop ya from freezin' to death last night, what's the big idea now?" Techno rose a brow at him and crossed his arms.

Dream sputtered, "Th-that was different! It was a life or death situation then-"

"And this could become a life or death situation if you aren't careful! Dream, do I need to remind ya again what happened the last time-"

"No! You don't!" Dream abruptly interjected, "You don't have to keep telling me how I'm weak and pathetic and that I'm a child who needs help because he's too useless to do anything for himself!" He panted after his sudden outburst. The sudden, harsh language had startled Techno back a step.

Then, Techno heard the sob, "Why..? Why do you care? Why do YOU of _all people_ care about me?" Dream continued with a much softer tone after a heart-wrenching cry, "And why don't any of my friends and the people I protect, the people I try to _appease_ , care about me like you do...?"

Dream's tears built up at the point where his chin met the bottom of the mask before spilling down his neck and almost instantly turning freezing cold against his skin. Techno couldn't stop himself from enveloping Dream in a hug once more and Dream was quick to cling to Techno's blue robe this time, "I wish I could tell ya, Dream..."

The hybrid realized consciously, as perhaps he had known and simply never acknowledged it before, that Dream was so much more emotional than he presented. Behind an unfeeling smiley face mask and underneath rugged netherite armor, Dream had so many thoughts and emotions and, unfortunately, they all seemed to be negative. Dream said it himself, the only time he had been truly happy was before the Dreamon or Nightmare or whatever It was entered his life and--again, according to Dream--that was _years_ ago. Since then, Dream's only known adversity in all its forms, and that just steeled Techno's desire.

The warmth was nice while it lasted, but Dream eventually pulled away after he got control of his crying. He wiped away all the wetness that made the neck of his sweater stick to his skin uncomfortably and sniffled, "S-so, what are we getting?"

"Ah, just miscellaneous items really. Could use some gunpowder, more wood never hurt, and I'm always on the hunt for arctic foxes." Techno explained.

"Hunt? How do you mean?"

"Not like what you're thinkin', most likely. I mean I've always wanted one as a pet. They're just so cute, ya know?"

"Cute, huh? I never knew big, bad Blood God Technoblade was such a softie." The shift to a playful tone surprised Techno, but he was honestly relieved by it. If it meant Dream wasn't plagued by the despair in his heart and the entity in his head, even for just a little while, Techno was satisfied.

"Just because I like cute foxes doesn't mean I can't wipe the floor with ya in a fight." Techno shot back, monotone and without a hint of malice.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, dude." Dream put his hands up in mock surrender, a cocky smirk audible in his voice.

What helped Techno sleep at night was Dream, so he supposed he was right. Though, his thoughts during the hours of darkness were usually less violent and more-

"You gonna lead the way or are we gonna keep standing on your porch forever?" The admin's words broke through Techno's musings before he could finish them.

The pinkette rolled his eyes and went down the stairs, "Try to keep up, nerd."

* * *

Supply gathering went well. He got a good few stacks of wood, the gunpowder of a couple stray creepers, and they had seen a fox but it ran and hid in its den before they could catch it.

All the while Dream was back to his energetic self; cracking jokes, laughing, just overall a lot happier than he had been that morning. That was the Dream Techno knew. The one that played along with harmless bits even when they were directed at him. The one that swung from branch to branch gleefully like he belonged in the trees. The one who _wheezed_ until all the air left his lungs when Techno wasn't quick enough to get that crucial second hit in on a creeper and it blew snow and dirt _all over_ Techno's pristine outfit. And though he had been covered in earthy debris, Techno laughed along with the blond. Dream's laugh was simply too contagious, and Techno was _so weak_ when it came to Dream.

The sun was well on its way to setting when the pair made it back to the area of Techno's cabin from their trip in the forest. Even at a distance, Techno could see two sets of footprints leading to his porch and knew immediately that Phil and Tommy had gotten back before them. _Exactly what he had dreaded._

He stopped and held out an arm to halt Dream in his tracks as well. Dream gave him a confused stare until Techno said, "They're already back, if Tommy sees ya he'll throw a fit."

"Tommy? You said he wasn't here."

Techno froze. _Shit._

"I-I-"

"Are you serious? You lied to me. He is here, and you fucking lied to me!" Dream raised his voice and the pinkette desperately fumbled to justify himself.

"Dream, I can explain-"

"You claim you care about me and that you want to protect me yet you harbor the _same_ person that absolutely _despises_ me? What the fuck!?"

"Please, Dream, let me explain! Just give me a second and I'm sure you'll understand, just _please._ " Techno spoke with as much sincerity in his voice as he could muster whilst he put his hands out in a placating manner.

Dream crossed his arms and Techno could _feel_ the suspicious gaze boring into him, searching his body language for any hint of a lie, "Fine. But if I find out you're lying to me and just _using me_ like everyone else, it will _not_ be a pretty sight, Techno."

"R-right... Well, it'll probably be better to discuss inside, but they can't know you're here. Do ya know how to go into your blob form willin'ly?"

"WHAT?!" Dream screeched, his arms coming undone to clench his fists at his sides, "Are you KIDDING ME right now!?" Techno quickly tried to shush Dream into speaking _just a little_ quieter, but Dream continued to shout, "After you just admitted to lying TO MY FACE you think I'm gonna trust you with me in my blob form?!"

"Shhh, please! Trust me just until we get inside, it'll be a lot easier to hide you in that form!" Techno whispered loudly.

"And a lot easier to take advantage of me-"

"Dream, _you know_ I _never_ took advantage of ya in that form. I was only carin' and gentle, you can't deny that." The pinkette instantly replied.

The blond quieted after that. His shoulders tensed as if he was looking for something to say but when he came up empty-handed he let out a frustrated breath. "Make it quick." He turned away and in the blink of an eye was a mound of clothes in the snow.

Techno sighed in relief at the cooperation and crouched to lift the heap up. He removed the garments from around the blob that refused to look at him and placed them in his inventory bag. It deeply hurt his heart to see such an innocent creature clearly upset with him. In his mind he tried to separate the two, but it had never been more obvious to him that they were the same being than now when the blob still wore its smile but was hunched over and its eyes were shaped in such a way that its displeasure was easy to see.

The hybrid brought up a finger to rub the side of its head, "I'm sorry, little guy, I really am. Please don't be too mad at me, I truly only want to keep ya happy and safe." It resisted at first, but eventually the blob nuzzled back against the touch. Techno hugged it to his chest and smiled as he felt it start to vibrate with purrs. As much as he enjoyed the moment, he had to cut it short and place the blob into one of his cloak's large inner pockets, "Stay there and keep quiet for me, little one. I'll be as quick as I can, okay?"

The blob nodded and Techno was delighted to see its eyes were back to normal. He adjusted his coat to seem as unsuspicious as possible and made his way to the cabin doors. After a deep, calming breath, Techno opened one up.

Upon doing so, he was greeted with the warmth of the fireplace and the smell of Phil's most recent concoction: sweet honey tea. Tommy, who sat on the living room couch with a half-empty cup in his hands and a thick blanket around his curled up body, noticed Techno's arrival first.

"Big man, you're back! Finally! How did we get home first and yet YOU were the one with the easy job? Even GHOSTBUR got back before you!" He exclaimed with raised brows.

Tommy's yelling got the attention of said ghost who gave Techno a friendly wave, "Hi, Techno!"

"Hello, Ghostbur. Did ya get any dogs?"

The spirit shook his head sadly with a frown, "No, I couldn't find any. But I did find a rabbit! It was soft and fluffy but it jumped out of my hands before I could get it onto Friend..."

"That's okay, Ghostbur. Thank you anyway."

"You're welcome!" The ghost beamed before returning to tuning his guitar in his lap.

Phil chuckled with a shake of his head as he appeared from the kitchen doorway, "Anyway, leave him alone, Tommy, that's no way to greet someone after a hard day at work." The older blond crossed the room to hand Techno a hot mug of tea with an obvious scent of honey, "Glad to see you make it back in one piece, mate."

Techno nodded to his dear friend and accepted the cup, "Thanks, Phil. And I told ya it was _not_ the easy job, Tommy, do you see this?" The hybrid gestured to himself.

Tommy glanced down to see the horribly dirtied state of Techno's outermost layer, "What the hell happened to you?"

"A creeper." Techno deadpanned.

Tommy immediately burst into laughter, throwing his head back and pretending to wipe away invisible tears as his shoulders shook. Phil was much more modest and polite by hiding his amusement behind his hand. And then there was Ghostbur who just seemed confused.

"Hmph. I assume Nether resource gatherin' went well then seein' as you both are in high spirits." Techno narrowed his eyes at them and almost seemed to even pout.

Phil nodded once he got control of himself again, "Better than expected actually, Tommy only almost fell into lava twice which must be some kind of record. I already sorted everything we got into the chests downstairs, you can thank me later."

"Oh, Phil! Phil! Tell Techno about how I killed twenty whole blazes all on my own!" Tommy excitedly said.

"It was closer to ten, but yes, Tommy was a very big help today." Phil had a knowing smile on his face as Tommy was grinning from ear to ear. As annoying as the kid could be, it warmed Techno's heart and got the approval of the voices to see him so happy and carefree. It was all Techno really wanted for the poor child, just a place where he was safe and able to do what all kids do. Another reason among many to keep him and Dream away from each other.

"Glad to hear you're finally makin' yourself useful." Techno snorted as Tommy let out an offended shout. He would've loved to continue poking fun at the boy, but a slight wiggling against his stomach reminded him of the blob still hidden in his pocket.

"Welp, I'm gonna head to bed early. A guy's gotta get his beauty sleep." Techno fake-yawned before going for the staircase.

"Wait, you don't wanna stay up a little longer for dinner?" Phil asked.

"Oh, I already ate on the way back so I'm not really hungry. Anyway, g'night!" The pinkette waved off the concern and dashed up the stairs.

When he made it to the safety of his room, he exhaled a heavy sigh, "That could've gone better at the end there..."

A quiet squeaking prompted Techno to quickly fish the blob out of his pocket and set it down on his bed, "Even so, it went a lot smoother than it would've had ya been human." The blob's eyes turned into irritated semi-circles, it didn't seem too pleased with those words.

"Oh, before you transform, here." Techno got the red robe from the floor and covered the blob with it, "So you're not totally naked when ya change back."

The blob nodded and the second Techno stepped away from the bed, it was human Dream again. He was embarrassed, if the flush on his freckled cheeks and the pout on his lips was anything to go by, "Do you, um, do you still have my clothes?

Techno jolted and quickly dug through his bag to retrieve Dream's things, "Right, of course, sorry." He handed the clothes off and looked away as Dream redressed himself.

There was the sound of soft shuffling and then nothing at all, "You can look now..."

When Techno glanced back, Dream was wearing just his black turtleneck sweater and pants--it was _so_ unfair how damn good Dream looked in black. Everything else must've been put into his own inventory bag.

An uncomfortable quietness featuring the two not meeting each other's eyes occurred before Dream expectantly said, "Well?"

Techno furrowed his brows before realizing and huffing slightly. He proceeded to explain everything to Dream, from how he found Tommy living like a raccoon below his basement, to how Tommy told him his situation and that he needed help, and finally to how he agreed to help Tommy if Tommy helped him in return. When he was done, Dream had an unreadable look on his face as if he was wearing his mask yet he very clearly wasn't. Techno still even now felt that giddiness of being one of the privileged few to behold such an enrapturing sight.

"So. You're helping him out of mutual benefit?" Dream questioned.

"Well... I've made relatively detailed plans on how to get my revenge on L'Manberg and destroy the government there once and for all, but he isn't too keen on them and he doesn't really seem to have a clear path on how to get the discs back either. So, it's been just an uneasy alliance while I fulfill my own goals cuz I feel bad for the kid... And just so ya know, I never had any intention to fight you. Yes, I agreed to help him get the discs back, but I'm tryin' to not get violent unless absolutely necessary and I know you're a reasonable guy even if Tommy doesn't believe me when I try to tell him so." Techno slumped his shoulders once he was finished.

Dream hummed after that. Techno was worried there would be another silence until Dream got his attention, "Techno?" The pinkette looked into timid and shiny emerald irises.

"Y-yes?"

"Do you really care about me?"

"Of course!" Techno responded without hesitation, "I really do, Dream, no matter what that voice in your head tells you."

Dream closed his eyes, and when he opened them again his expression was unusually serious and his eyes held a dangerous red glint to them, "Then prove it."

"H-huh? How do you mean-"

"Cut it off with the brat. If you really care about me, you'll stop associating with my goddamn arch-nemesis, Technoblade." Dream's tone was jarringly impatient and the usage of Techno's full name made it feel like he was a child being scolded.

"I-I..." Techno blinked and supressed a whimper as he felt a strange impulse to submit, to obey no matter what the command was. His ears drooped down and a light blush dusted across his face, "O-okay. I will, I-I'll talk to him."

Dream's expression softened as he smiled, no hint of agitation or evil in his eyes, "Thank you, Techno."

The pinkette nodded stiffly, suddenly finding the spruce wood floor very intriguing. He heard Dream sigh.

"Do you think those three are out of the living room by now? I'm sure I could make a two-story jump, but I'd honestly rather not if I don't have to. I guess I can just use a pearl-"

"Wait, you're leavin'?" Techno finally looked up to see Dream gazing out his open window.

Dream glanced back with a raised brow, "Yeah? You said it yourself, Tommy would flip out if he found me here. The sooner I'm gone, the better."

"I know, but... Maybe just stay for the night? Just tonight, you can leave early in the mornin' to avoid Tommy, it's just-it gets really cold at night, ya know? I wouldn't want a repeat of last night happenin'..." Techno quickly scrambled for any excuse to make Dream stay. He felt vulnerable, as if something bad would occur once he was left alone. _Damn piglin instincts..._

The admin observed him with something strange in his eyes before he closed the window, "Alright, Techno, I'll stay." Techno instantly perked up but his joy was interrupted when Dream brought up a finger and continued, "On one condition."

"Wh-what condition..?"

Dream suddenly looked unsure, "Th-that we cuddle..."

The pinkette saw it then, more with his heart than his eyes. That familiar insecurity. The simultaneous want to reach out and fear of seeming weak. Techno smiled as reassuringly as possible, "I wouldn't have it any other way." Dream met his gaze with a grateful upwards tilt of his lips.

The blond got into the bed first as Techno had to change into comfy nightwear. Once he did, he joined Dream and hugged his slim torso before nuzzling his face into Dream's chest. He sensed reluctance in the way Dream wrapped his arms around him, but he cuddled back nonetheless. Techno could definitely get used to this feeling of being held, especially if the one holding him was Dream.

"Goodnight, Techno. Sweet dreams."

Techno grinned against the admin's sweater, "Goodnight, Dream. You too." He wanted to enjoy the peace and the warmth for much longer, but the urge to sleep was too strong and soon he was unconscious in Dream's arms.

* * *

The next morning, Techno didn't have the luxury of waking up to the scent and heat of Dream. He understood it, he was the one who suggested Dream leave early after all, but that didn't mean he was any less disappointed.

He sluggishly left his room and trudged down the stairs. The entire house was quiet this early, not even Phil was up yet and that man was the definition of an early bird. While the tranquility was nice, the lonely feeling wasn't. _He really wished Dream had stayed just a little longer..._

Rubbing the sleep from his eye, Techno padded soundlessly to the kitchen. He was practically starving after skipping dinner last night. On his way to the counter where the food chests rested, he almost didn't notice a bag on the kitchen table. His brows furrowed before he walked closer and read the little note that accompanied the moderately sized pouch: _'Remember what I said :)'_

Techno instantly knew who it was from and why. The pinkette pulled the string that held the bag closed and was overjoyed to see a stack of chocolate squares inside. He only had two pieces left over from the last batch Dream gave him so this was a much appreciated gift. The best part about them was that they made him think of Dream whenever he popped one into his mouth, and that was easily sweeter than everything else in Techno's life. He whispered to himself and no one else, "Anythin' for you, Dream."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Truth be told, this chapter was already written by the time the first was posted, I've just been editing it. These chapters are very long so editing takes a while. Speaking of, do y'all like longer chapters? They're more content but they take a while to write and edit and I could get shorter ones out faster. Let me know what you think in the comments.

**Author's Note:**

> I have a twitter https://twitter.com/tryna_write specifically for if you want to interact with me in more meaningful ways than through the comments, though comments are appreciated as well. If you enjoyed, why not slap a kudos down that'd be pretty cool


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